Top Ad
I DIG Radio
www.idigradio.com
Listen live to the best music from around the world!
I DIG Style
www.idigstyle.com
Learn about the latest fashion styles and more...

Former White Sox, Orioles GM Hemond dies at 92

Written by 
Published in Baseball
Monday, 13 December 2021 16:14

Roland Hemond, whose 70-year career in baseball included three Executive of the Year awards as general manager of the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, died Sunday night. He was 92.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom he spent 19 seasons, announced Hemond's death Monday.

"He passed peacefully in his son Jay's arms," Hemond's family said in a statement released by the Diamondbacks. "The Hemond family shared many laughs with him until the end, and we appreciate the love and support of all his baseball family."

Hemond was Chicago's GM from 1970 to '85 and served in the same role for Baltimore from 1988 to '95. He won the Sporting News MLB Executive of the Year award in 1972, and then again in 1983 when the White Sox won the AL West.

His third Executive of the Year honor came in 1989, when the Orioles nearly won the AL East after losing 107 games the previous season.

Hemond is also considered the architect of the Arizona Fall League, and he helped found the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation to provide assistance to longtime scouts needing special support. In 2011, he received the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, given by the Baseball Hall of Fame's board of directors to someone whose efforts enhanced baseball's positive impact on society.

"With a perpetual twinkle in his eye, Roland had a love for the game that was fueled by a respect and admiration for all who played it," said Jane Forbes Clark, chairman of the Hall. "He worked tirelessly to help baseball family members in need and never wavered in his commitment to serve. We extend our condolences to his wife, Margo, and the entire Hemond family."

Born Oct. 26, 1929 in Central Falls, Rhode Island, Hemond was the assistant scouting director for the Milwaukee Braves during the 1950s. Hemond helped assemble the Milwaukee team that won the World Series in 1957, and he became scouting director for the Los Angeles Angels when they began playing in 1961.

He joined the White Sox in 1970.

"I believe it's shared by everyone in the baseball world, starting with his time with the Milwaukee Braves, that Roland Hemond touched and influenced more people than any other person in a really positive way," said Chicago manager Tony La Russa, who also managed the White Sox during Hemond's tenure as GM. "For years and years, he's been the most beloved figure in the game. He treated everyone with kindness and respect and they returned it."

In a 1975 stunt at the winter meetings, Hemond and White Sox owner Bill Veeck set up a table in the lobby of a Florida hotel with an "Open for Business Anytime" sign. They made four trades in an hour.

Veeck had Chicago's publicity director call periodically, and Hemond would pretend he was answering calls from other teams.

"People would look around laughing, saying, 'Jesus, this looks like it's working 'cause they're getting phone calls,'" Hemond recalled decades later. "I don't think you could reenact it today."

Hemond was senior executive vice president of baseball operations for the Diamondbacks from 1996 to 2000. Then he went back to the White Sox as an adviser before returning to the Diamondbacks as a special assistant from 2007 to '20.

"Roland Hemond was one of the most respected executives that our game has ever known," commissioner Rob Manfred said. "He mentored countless people in our sport and found ways to make our game stronger. Roland Hemond was a great gentleman whose contributions to our national pastime will never be forgotten."

Read 284 times

Soccer

FIFA donates $50m for Qatar World Cup legacy

FIFA donates $50m for Qatar World Cup legacy

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFIFA launched a $50 million legacy fund for social programmes on We...

Guardiola sorry for self-harm remark after draw

Guardiola sorry for self-harm remark after draw

EmailPrintManchester City boss Pep Guardiola has apologised for suggesting he wanted to hurt himself...

Guardiola's new Man City deal means nothing if stars don't sign extensions, too

Guardiola's new Man City deal means nothing if stars don't sign extensions, too

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsManchester City did the easy part by having manager Pep Guardiola s...

2026 FIFA


2028 LOS ANGELES OLYMPIC

UEFA

2024 PARIS OLYMPIC


Basketball

KD, Beal return as Suns' big 3 leads rout of Lakers

KD, Beal return as Suns' big 3 leads rout of Lakers

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsPHOENIX -- Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant each scored 23 points and...

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

Giannis out vs. Heat due to pregame knee issue

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsMIAMI -- Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is out for Tues...

Baseball

Champion Dodgers adding Snell, sources say

Champion Dodgers adding Snell, sources say

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsFree agent left-hander Blake Snell and the Los Angeles Dodgers have...

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

Dodgers split $46M from record MLB playoff pool

EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNEW YORK -- A full postseason share for the World Series champion L...

Sports Leagues

  • FIFA

    Fédération Internationale de Football Association
  • NBA

    National Basketball Association
  • ATP

    Association of Tennis Professionals
  • MLB

    Major League Baseball
  • ITTF

    International Table Tennis Federation
  • NFL

    Nactional Football Leagues
  • FISB

    Federation Internationale de Speedball

About Us

I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information.  Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r

 

Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Affiliated