Surfers Up Next for Russell

Former Dodger manager Bill Russell returned to Southern California on Tuesday as manager of the Rancho Cucamonga Surfers, one of four teams trying to make the new California Fall League a success.

Russell’s six-week stint with the Surfers, which begins today in Lancaster, is his second minor league managerial position after being fired last year.

“It was hard; I had never been fired before,” Russell said Tuesday. “It’s like a death. You lose someone really close to you. I was with the Dodgers for 30 years and I heard about people being fired and read about it, but you never think it will happen to you.

“But when they tell you your services are no longer wanted, you have to go through a time when you grieve and try to bounce back.”

Russell led the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ double-A Orlando affiliate to a Southern League title last week.

“It took a lot of patience,” he said. “In the major leagues, you have to win every day. But in the minors, it’s more developmental and getting players ready for the major leagues. We came a long way this year. We may not have always been the best team out there, but they always played better.”

Russell hopes to return as a major league manager but says he has no ill-feelings toward the Dodger organization.

“I could never feel bad about my time here,” said Russell. “The O’Malley family provided me an opportunity to make a good living and how can you have bad feelings about that.