Former White Sox, Orioles GM Roland Hemond Dies At Age 92

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(AP) — Roland Hemond, whose 70-year vocation successful shot included 3 Executive of the Year awards arsenic wide manager of the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, died Sunday night. He was 92.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, with whom helium spent 19 seasons, announced Hemond’s decease Monday.

“He passed peacefully successful his lad Jay’s arms,” Hemond’s household said successful a connection released by the Diamondbacks. “The Hemond household shared galore laughs with him until the end, and we admit the emotion and enactment of each his shot family.”

Hemond was Chicago’s GM from 1970-85 and served successful the aforesaid relation for Baltimore from 1988-95. He won the Sporting News MLB Executive of the Year grant successful 1972, and past again successful 1983 erstwhile the White Sox won the AL West.

His 3rd Executive of the Year grant came successful 1989, erstwhile the Orioles astir won the AL East aft losing 107 games the erstwhile season.

Hemond is besides considered the designer of the Arizona Fall League, and helium helped recovered the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation to supply assistance to longtime scouts needing peculiar support. In 2011, helium received the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, fixed by the Hall of Fame’s committee of directors to a idiosyncratic whose efforts enhanced baseball’s affirmative interaction connected society.

“With a perpetual twinkle successful his eye, Roland had a emotion for the crippled that was fueled by a respect and admiration for each who played it,” Hall seat Jane Forbes Clark said. “He worked tirelessly to assistance shot household members successful request and ne'er wavered successful his committedness to serve. We widen our condolences to his wife, Margo, and the full Hemond family.”

Born Oct. 26, 1929. successful Central Falls, Rhode Island, Hemond was the adjunct scouting manager for the Milwaukee Braves during the 1950s. Hemond helped assemble the Milwaukee squad that won the World Series successful 1957, and helium became scouting manager for the Los Angeles Angels erstwhile they began playing successful 1961.

He joined the White Sox successful 1970.

“I judge it’s shared by everyone successful the shot world, starting with his clip with the Milwaukee Braves, that Roland Hemond touched and influenced much radical than immoderate different idiosyncratic successful a truly affirmative way,” said Chicago manager Tony La Russa, who besides managed the White Sox during Hemond’s tenure arsenic GM. “For years and years, he’s been the astir beloved fig successful the game. He treated everyone with kindness and respect and they returned it.”

In a 1975 stunt at the wintertime meetings, Hemond and White Sox proprietor Bill Veeck acceptable up a array successful the lobby of a Florida edifice with an “Open for Business Anytime” sign. They made 4 trades successful an hour.

Veeck had Chicago’s publicity manager telephone periodically, and Hemond would unreal helium was answering calls from different teams.

“People would look astir laughing, saying, Jesus, this looks similar it’s moving ’cause they’re getting telephone calls,” Hemond recalled decades later. “I don’t deliberation you could re-enact it today.”

Hemond was elder enforcement vice president of shot operations for the Diamondbacks from 1996-2000. Then helium went backmost to the White Sox arsenic an advisor earlier returning to the Diamondbacks arsenic a peculiar adjunct from 2007-20.

“Roland Hemond was 1 of the astir respected executives that our crippled has ever known,” shot Commissioner Rob Manfred said. “He mentored countless radical successful our athletics and recovered ways to marque our crippled stronger. Roland Hemond was a large man whose contributions to our nationalist pastime volition ne'er beryllium forgotten.”

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