At the heart of the Yankee-Red Sox rivalry in the late 1970’s, was a hard-nosed third baseman on the Olde Towne Team. Butch Hobson was known for his football mentality on and off the field and the results showed. In 1977, he set a Sox team record for third basemen with 30 homers and 112 RBIs batting from the ninth hole and had two more solid seasons afterwards. Injuries and off the field problems curtailed his career, which ended with the Yankees in 1982. Hobson returned to Fenway in the early 1990’s as the Sox manager. Even though those years were not as successful as he hoped, he still honed his managing skills and ended up on his feet.

These days Hobson is managing the Nashua Pride of the independent Atlantic League. MOFO Sports caught up with Hobson recently and he was kind enough to allow us a couple of minutes to answer a few questions.

MOFO Sports: Now that the first half is coming to an end, what does the Pride have to do to make the playoffs and win the second half?

Butch Hobson: Our starting pitching is behind in the count too much. My starters have 100 to 105 pitches going into the fifth inning every night. We got to cut down that. We got to start pitching ahead in the count and getting ahead of hitters. Make the hitters work a little bit harder. The bullpen has probably been our strongest point up until two weeks ago and (the bullpen) became the same situation where we come in and pitch behind in the count. That’s our first area. We have to through more strikes.

The second area is defense. We have not been very good. We give the other team too many extra at bats. We play good teams like Bridgeport and Long Island and you can’t give them extra at bats. The miscues. Throwing to the wrong base and (missing the) cut off. Letting the guy take the extra base. Mental mistakes we make and popups that are misplayed that should be outs. We beat ourselves a lot that way this year.

Offensively, we have been ok. For a good part of the year we were leading the league in hitting. I have some guys who can swing the bat here, but we have to be a little more patient in certain situations. We got to have a little bit better game plan and get to certain pitchers. That’s where we have to improve

MS: You played in the 1970’s and manage today, what differences do you see in how the game is played?

BH: I think back when I played, everybody played hard all the time. I think guys now take an inning off here and there. Take an at bat off or take a half inning off as far as their focus and their concentration in order to be better. I see less hustle to first base. I see less hustle to second base. Guys today talk about how much they like the game, but they don’t really show us much they really love the game. That is the main difference I see today.

MS: Do you eventually want to get back with a major league organization as a manager?

BH: That’s not a goal I shoot for or politic for. I am happy where I am. I have a young family. I get to spend more time with my sons. I get to be around and watch them grow up and I get to watch my baby girl grow up. A goal I have is to coach a college team. I like to work with younger players. No, I am not out politicking for it. If the Good Lord wants to put me in that position, He will.

MS: What manager from your playing days do you model your managerial style after?

BH: Don Zimmer was a player’s manager. He loved you when you played hard. I love my players to play hard. I played for Jim Fregosi. He was the same way. He was a fiery type of manager that wanted to get the most out of his players. I believe I learned that from those guys. I played for Bob Lemon. I played for Billy Martin in Spring Training. You try and take a lot about the game that you learned. And you take a lot on how your manager ran the game.

MS: In 1977, you had that huge year. What made it all come together for you that year?

BH: Number one, I was on a great team. I had a lot of really great hitters in front of me. I hit ninth in that lineup - behind (Dwight) Evans and George Scott. Before that you had Pudge (Fisk), Yaz, (Fred) Lynn and (Jim) Rice. It was a tremendous team. I worked very hard. I was a mediocre talent, but I worked very hard to get there.

MS: What are your fondest Red Sox memories?

BH: Well, I had the inside the park home run my first game. That’s a fond memory. Everybody remembers the play I made and fell into the dugout and I landed on (pitcher) Ellie Hendricks - he was in there smoking cigarettes. I got to see Yaz get his 3000th hit. I got to see him get his 400th home run. I got to manage some great players in Roger Clemens, Wade Boggs and Andre Dawson. A lot of fond memories of Boston because of the great, great fans. When you play hard they adopt you as one of their own and they love you.

MS: Since you played for the Yankees at the end of your career, you got to experience the rivalry from both sides. How was it like see it from both ends?

BH: In the 1970’s, it was intense and it was a war. That’s the way it’s gotten now. When I managed and when I went over to New York, I didn’t see the intensity that I seen in Boston. But today, it’s back because of the Wild Card. The Red Sox have played the Yankees a couple of times in those situations and that rivalry has seemed to come back.

MS: How difficult was it dealing with the Boston media back when you were a manager?

BH: I didn’t have a problem with the Boston media. I gave them what they wanted and when they needed it. I got along with them. If you don’t win in Boston you are going to get criticized and you are going to get fired. That’s just the way it is and it comes with the territory. I have the utmost respect for any media person I ever spoken with. You have differences sometimes, but I was able to say that I were sorry about yesterday and they were the same way.

MS: With your substance problems in the past and as a role model for children, do you see your past problems as something of a lesson and deterrent for children and teenagers?

BH: Of course. We all have to do that as athletes or at least we should. I want to see every young man have the opportunity I had and that is go to the big leagues. My biggest focus and biggest thing I can pass on with them is that when you are an athlete, people want to see you fail. That’s just the way it is. There are people out there that will put you in a position the you will fail, if you are not smart. I was not smart. I was one of those guys who thought in order to fit in, this is what I should do and it probably cost me a few years on my career.

MS: You were known to be a very hard-nosed player. Do you think if you didn’t play as hard that your career would have been longer?

BH: I don’t think so. I had a football mentality as a player and I have a football mentality as a manager. That’s the only way I could ever play. If I haven’t ran as hard off the field, it probably would have been longer.

MS: Final question. What would you tell someone who has never seen the Pride play to get them to come to Nashua and take in a game?

BH: I think our organization goes after some people with some class. We go after some quality people that are good to the fans and don’t mind signing autographs. They are good to the kids. When they play, they play the way it’s suppose to be played. When you want to see guys hustle and you want to see guys play hard, then come out and watch us play.