Oct. 27
Coaching and managing is always interesting, no matter what level you're at. I don't care if it's junior high school or the pros. Recently Pat Riley decided to step down as Miami Heat head coach. Who could ever forget Showtime and his four NBA championships with the Lakers? He did a solid job with Miami, though he fell short of the NBA Finals.

Riley is magical in terms of communicating his concepts. That's what coaching is all about. It's all about the locker-room camaraderie, keeping people happy. That's what makes guys like Yankees manager Joe Torre and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski so unique. They have the ability to handle the entire scene -- the locker room, the lineups, the strategy.

Little had the respect of his players, yet ownership and management failed to back him up.

Look at the way manager Jack McKeon handled the Florida Marlins, leading them to the World Series championship! He kept his players loose and enjoying themselves. His crew clearly had fun. But there's also a sad reality in the coaching profession, which Grady Little knows about -- because he won't be back as manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Red Sox ownership can't be serious. Think about it: The man won 95 games and took the New York Yankees to Game 7 of the ALCS, which ended in such dramatic fashion.

Many fans and members of the media questioned his decision to stay with Pedro Martinez in that final game instead of going to his bullpen. People are entitled the right to second-guess, but should a man lose his job over that?

I say shame on you to owner John Henry, Larry Lucchino, Tom Werner and GM Theo Epstein. They should have jumped immediately to Little's defense. They should have supported him for holding together a locker room that could have been a disaster.

Little had the respect of his players. Yet ownership and management failed to back him up. There was no word of a new contract when the Red Sox had the option, even with 95 wins.

I don't blame Little for saying that he wondered if he wanted to return to Boston anyway, given the lack of support. It's a shame that a manager could have that kind of success and still be given the ziggy. Maybe he'd have been better off taking a club to mediocrity instead of the win-it-all mentality that leads to changes despite 95 wins.

I say lots of luck to the next manager stepping into the Red Sox locker room, with the mixture of egos involved, both on and off the field.

Maybe I'm different, but I agreed with Little and didn't question his decision to keep Martinez in Game 7. Some players want that ball come crunch time. Others want to take off when the spotlight is shining due to that fear-of-failure mentality. Martinez, like Curt Schilling, Randy Johnson, Greg Maddux and Roger Clemens, have earned the right and respect to stay on the mound.

Little, meanwhile, earned the right for an extension. Every manager should feel his pain knowing a colleague could have that kind of success and still not be retained.