It’s not often that someone turns down the opportunity for a raise with a new job, but not getting along with a boss seems like a good reason to make that decision. For Sandy Alomar, he turned down a raise for the exact opposite decision.
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the 49-year-old Indians first base coach was offered the White Sox bench coach position. The jump would have meant a sizable pay increase and a step closer to becoming a manager.
However, Alomar turned it down. The reason? He has too much respect for Robin Ventura.
I thought about it, said Alomar. But I didn’t want to cause a problem.
The White Sox fired bench coach Mike Parent after their underwhelming 2015 season. Many believed Ventura was not only on the hot seat, but a candidate to be fired before next season even ends.
It was with that in mind that Alomar turned down the job. He told the Plain Dealer he has too much respect for Ventura to make it look as if he was preparing to take his job.
I didn’t want it to seem like I was coming in to replace Robin in case they stumbled out of the gate, said Alomar. I like and respect Robin too much for that.
Ventura is the first White Sox manager to have three consecutive losing seasons and still return for the fourth year. In his first season as manager, Ventura and the White Sox finished in second place, just three games out of the playoffs.
Since that first season, the White Sox haven’t even come close to a .500 record. They have finished at or near the bottom of the AL Central each year.
