Bowa Is Named Padre Manager : Former All-Star Shortstop Replaces Fired Steve Boros

Larry Bowa, the former All-Star shortstop whose team won a minor league title in his first managing job, was named manager of the San Diego Padres Tuesday, replacing Steve Boros.

Boros was fired as manager but will work in an unspecified job in the Padres organization, General Manager Jack McKeon announced Tuesday. Boros formerly was director of minor league instruction for the Padres.

Club president Ballard Smith said Tuesday the change “was something we quite obviously had been thinking about for quite a while because the season didn’t go well.”

Boros took over as manager of the team three days into spring training when Dick Williams resigned and guided the Padres to a 74-88 record and a fourth-place finish in the National League West.

“Looking at 1986, I think we’re all responsible for the poor showing of our ballclub,” McKeon said. “That includes me, the manager, the staff and the players. We want it to be known that we do not want Steve to shoulder all the blame for that situation.”

Bowa, the Padres 11th manager in the organization’s 18 years, led the Padres’ Class AAA farm club in Las Vegas to an 80-62 record and the 1986 Pacific Coast League title.

A shortstop who played 16 years in the major leagues, Bowa collected 2,191 hits for a .260 lifetime batting average before retiring after the 1985 season.

He passed on a $250,000 contract offer to play as a utility infielder for the New York Mets this season to begin his managerial career.

“I certainly feel that Larry has a chance to be an outstanding major league manager,” McKeon said.

In assessing the Padres’ 1986 season, Bowa said he thought part of the problem was a lack of spirit among the players.

“They lacked aggressiveness, I thought. Losing can do that,” Bowa said.

“I played a long time in the big leagues and I hate to lose. I want that attitude to spread among our players.

“I’m not going to lay down a whole lot of rules,” Bowa added. “I just want the guys to play hard for nine innings, 27 outs. I don’t think that’s asking too much.”

Bowa, 40, led the major leagues in fielding a record six times, won two Gold Gloves and set a National League record for most games by a shortstop (2,222), playing 12 seasons for Philadelphia, three for the Chicago Cubs and splitting his final season between with the Cubs and Mets.

Boros, 50, who was in Tahiti and unavailable for comment, had served as manager of the Oakland A’s in 1983 and a portion of 1984. He was fired on May 24, 1984, after Oakland started the season with a 20-24 record. His record at Oakland was 94-112.

The Padres also announced that the coaching staff for 1987 would remain intact except for third-base coach Jack Krol, who will be offered another job in the organization. The newcomer to the staff is Greg Riddoch, who served as coordinator of minor league instruction after Boros became manager.

Bowa was twice suspended in May by PCL President Bill Cutler following ejections by female umpire Pam Postema. League reports said Bowa spit toward Postema in the ninth inning of a game to earn his first suspension and carried on a nine-inning verbal barrage against Postema in the next game.

Cutler said at the time, “I didn’t think he’d be as bad as he has been.”

Bowa contended Postema was in “a little over her head” as an umpire.

“She reversed three decisions on me and she was wrong on all three. I would have done the same thing if it was a man. It didn’t matter if she was a man or a woman,” Bowa said Tuesday when asked if he had any regrets about his run-ins with Postema.

After the incidents, Bowa calmed and there were no further incidents between the two.

“Don’t expect me to be a choir boy. I never have been. But don’t expect me to get kicked out of 50 games either,” Bowa told a news conference.

Though Williams never had a losing season in four years at San Diego and took the Padres to their first pennant in 1984, most players had welcomed Boros and his easy-going manner after enduring Williams’ gruff managing style.

But harmony eluded the Padres and Boros throughout the 1986 season, and several players who had criticized Williams said the team missed his stern leadership.

Boros was on the job two days when the Padres announced that pitcher LaMarr Hoyt had entered a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Hoyt rejoined the team a month later but ended 1986 with an 8-11 record and a 5.15 ERA.

Boros was publicly criticized by relief pitcher Rich (Goose) Gossage and was the subject of implied criticism by shortstop Garry Templeton.

“There’s hardly any enthusiasm on this team whatsoever like there was when Dick was around,” Templeton said on June 30. “You can’t keep patting people on the back if they’re screwing up.”

Boros responded by saying he would stick with his low-key approach.

The Padres were only three games out of first at the All-Star break but fell out of contention with an 11-19 record in August, their worst month of the year.

Boros tried to fire up the team by juggling the lineup, but the constant changes alienated veteran players, including third baseman Graig Nettles, who nicknamed Boros “Mr. Moves.”

Hoyt said Boros was “cutting his own throat” with the way he managed the team.