Chicago White Sox: Remembering Roland Hemond
Roland Hemond, who died Monday at age 92, was a steady force as general manager of two teams from the 1970s into the 1990s.
Hired by Chicago White Sox owner John Allyn to run the team following the 1970 season, Hemond was retained by Bill Veeck when he purchased the team in 1975, and continued for Jerry Reinsdorf and Eddie Einhorn when they bought the team from Veeck in 1981.
Remembering former Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles GM Roland Hemond
His teams had a record of 1,165-1,192, and won one divisional championship. That came in 1983 when the Sox finished 99-63 but lost the ALCS to Baltimore.
Hemond’s Chicago teams finished second in 1972 and were third in 1971, 1977, 1981, 1982, and 1985.
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Fired following the 1985 season, Hemond was hired to run the Orioles when Hank Peters left to take over the Cleveland Indians in November of 1987. In Baltimore, Hemond’s first team underwent the debacle of a 21-game season-opening losing streak and 54-107 finish. But he lasted eight seasons, his teams finishing second in 1994 and having the AL East’s second best record in 1994 when the strike halted that season.
He resigned in October of 1995. His Baltimore teams were 592-634.
But Hemond was not unemployed for long. He signed on with the nascent Arizona Diamondbacks as an executive vice president in 1996, continuing through 2000. That gave him a role in the putting together of the D-Backs’ 1999 pennant winners.
Rejoining the White Sox as an advisor in 2001, he was in that capacity when Chicago won the 2005 World Series.
In retirement and really throughout his career, Hemond was credited as being an innovator. Many credit him with creating the Arizona Fall League, the developmental league that operates in October and November.
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Hemond got his start with the Boston Braves in 1952, moving with the team to Milwaukee one year later as an assistant scouting director. He joined the newly created Los Angeles Angels as scouting director in 1981, and remained in that capacity until 1970, when he came to the Chicago White Sox as director of player development.