Terry Bevington has wanted to be a major-league manager since the first day he managed the minors, at Burlington (Iowa) of the Midwest League some 14 years ago.
He moved up the ranks bit by bit, with an almost rhythmic beat: three years managing Class-A ball; two years in Double A; three years in Triple A. Since 1989, he has been a White Sox coach.
And over the past several seasons, Bevington interviewed for a handful of those coveted top jobs–with Toronto, Houston and Boston.
The call finally came on Friday, when White Sox General Manager Ron Schueler named Bevington to replace Gene Lamont. Bevington made no apologies for the opportunity.
“Obviously, this is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time–not under these circumstances, of course–but these things happen in baseball,” he said. “If it’s not me, it’s going to be somebody else.
“I’ve done nothing that I should be ashamed to take the job,” he said. “They’re not going to keep Gene Lamont if I don’t take it.”
And Bevington, while admitting to a case of nerves before Friday night’s game against Detroit, dismissed the traditional pressure placed on managers. He said he believes the team’s success is tied to his performance, and therefore his job will take care of itself.
“I’ll be harder on myself than they’ll ever be on me,” said Bevington, 38. “I’m going to look at this as my shot and it’s the only shot I’ll ever have–that’s some pressure, isn’t it?”
Bevington spent seven years as a minor-league catcher before retiring in 1980. He coached six different minor-league teams over the next eight years, compiling a .554 winning percentage and capturing division titles in five seasons.
Bevington attributes his success at that level to “bringing out the best in players.”
Said Schueler: “He’s got a great reputation. He’s been a winner.”
Schueler said he also has been impressed by Bevington’s demeanor at meetings and his preparation for games. Players noted their new manager’s intensity.
“He’s going to be a fired-up guy,” said slugger Frank Thomas, who predicted that Bevington’s attitude will affect the team. “You won’t see guys slipping and sliding around the clubhouse anymore.”
The Sox made Bevington their first-base coach in 1989, and moved him over to third base a year later. He remained there until Friday.
Unlike an off-season move, Bevington had little time to savor the moment. Only an hour before game time Friday night, in fact, he still was getting used to the trappings of a top job: Bevington seemed somewhat taken aback when asked to sit through an interview on WMAQ-AM 670’s pregame show, a task for which the Sox manager is paid.
“Under the circumstances, it takes the excitement out of it,” he said. “I can get excited after we do good.”
