Page 167 - 1975 BoSox

160 ’75—THE RED SOX TEAM THAT SAVED BASEBALL
He’d met White Sox GM Roland Hemond, so gave him a call and was invited to spring training. Hemond asked him if he didn’t make the big-league club, would he be willing to go to their Triple-A team in Edmonton. Dillard said he would, and spent the whole season with Edmonton. ere were a couple of injuries on the big-league club and he came up at the end of the season and played under Tony LaRussa from mid- September on with the White Sox, but hit for a disap- pointing .171 average.
e White Sox saw other potential in Steve Dillard, though. “ ey wanted me to manage in the minor leagues at the end of that season but they released me to give me an opportunity to try to nd a team to sign me in the major leagues. I really couldn’t nd anybody. Everybody wanted the younger players, so I told them I would go to work and manage for them in the minor leagues. After the season ended, I got released again. I started calling other teams, trying to nd a job as a player. I didn’t have any luck, so I called the White Sox back and said I’ll manage. I started managing with them in ‘83. I spent two years in the Gulf Coast League with Sarasota. At that time, we had moved down to that area, too, so it was pretty nice being at home all the time. I managed Double-A the next year, and we had a big changeover in general manager, farm director, and all that. I went back down to the Gulf Coast and managed two more years there, I think. en I went to the Midwest League, the last year I was with them. I was with them six years managing in the minor leagues.”
“I was with the Astros after that for six years. I was in eld instructor a couple of years and then I managed four years, I guess. en I went with the Cubs in ’95. I was a hitting coach with Rockford in the Midwest League. After that season, my kids were all getting high-school age and I wanted to see them play so I got out of a liated ball after the ’95 season.”
After that, Steve kept his hand in, even around home. He helped run an independent league team in Tupelo for a year, but the team folded in its second year. He served as hitting coach with Glens Falls, New York, with Les Lancaster. “He was the manager, and he’d been the pitching coach with me with the Tupelo team. He called me up (and) wanted to know if I’d come up there with him. I went to Lafayette, Louisiana, and managed a team, and Ron Guidry was the pitching coach down there. at’s where he’s from. He was king down there. at was a good time with him.”
Dillard did answer the Organized Baseball call once more, returning to manage Quad Cities for the Cardinals in 2008 and 2009. en it was back home to Saltillo.
“Last couple of years, I’ve been ... in our old town here we started a Park and Rec. I’ve been director of that. We’ve got baseball, softball, soccer, and so on.”
At the time of the 2005 interview, Dillard was actively following his son Tim, a real prospect pitching for the Brevard County team in the Florida State League. His oldest son is an engineer with the Air Force, and his second son has a master’s degree in business ad- ministration.Tim is the only one who sought a career in Organized Baseball. A right-handed pitcher, he made the majors with Milwaukee in 2008 and pitched in parts of four seasons — 2008-09, 2011-12. He ap- peared in 73 games, all in relief, with a combiner ERA of 4.70 and a 1-4 record.
Steve still follows the Cubs and the Red Sox, and keeps up with the Cardinals and Braves as well. His father’s a big Braves fan. “Now he’s got a grandson, so hopefully he’ll get to see him play one of these days.”
Notes
1 Unless otherwise noted, all quotations from Steve Dillard are from an oral history and interview by Bill Nowlin on August 18, 2005.