The Arizona Republic

Longtime executive Hemond dies at 92

- Nick Piecoro

Roland Hemond, a longtime Diamondbac­ks executive who spent 23 years as a general manager for the Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles, died on Sunday. He was 92.

Hemond spent 70 years working in baseball, most recently in an advisory capacity for the Diamondbac­ks. He won the game’s executive of the year award three times and is credited with founding the Arizona Fall League. He also hired Tony La Russa and Dave Dombrowski during this time with the White Sox in the 1970s and 1980s.

Hemond was known for his engaging and personable qualities, giving him an ability to connect with others in an easy, almost effortless way.

“I believe he was the most beloved man of our generation,” La Russa, the Hall of Fame manager and former Diamondbac­ks executive, said on Monday. “He might have been the most influentia­l, as well. Everybody that I know that worked with him tried to be a lot like Roland with how personal they tried to establish their relationsh­ips.”

“Roland was one of baseball’s greatest ambassador­s, and his impact on the game is beyond measure,” Diamondbac­ks Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick and CEO Derrick Hall said in a team-issued statement. “We were lucky he was a D-Back for 19 years as our organizati­on is better because of his time here.

“His legacy will live on through those whose lives he touched and mentored on a daily basis as everyone who met him became a friend and had a favorite Roland story. One of his personal mottos, ‘Enjoy the moment,’ serves as a good reminder of a life well-lived.”

After a year working for a minor league club, Hemond broke into the majors in 1951 in a position that had him typing scouting reports for the Boston Braves. He advanced to an assistant farm director role with the club before leaving to become the Los Angeles’ Angels scouting and farm director in 1961. He left after the 1970 season to take on GM duties with the White Sox.

He spent 14 seasons with the White Sox, winning executive of the year honors twice, including in 1983, the year his club went 99-63 and won the American League West by a then-record 20 games.

While acknowledg­ing Hemond’s kindness, La Russa thought limiting his legacy to that would be “doing him a disservice.” “He was a really sharp judge of talent,” La Russa said. “What he did for those organizati­ons helped make champions.”

After a year working in the commission­er’s office under Peter Ueberroth, Hemond became GM of the Orioles, holding that position from 1988 to 1995. He was executive of the year for a third time in 1989 after guiding the Orioles to 32 1/2game improvemen­t from the previous season.

During his time with the Orioles, Hemond raised the idea of the fall league after finding it increasing­ly difficult to convince young players to travel abroad to play winter ball. The fall league began play in 1992.

“I felt for developmen­t purposes, if they passed up winter ball they were depriving themselves of an opportunit­y to improve their skills and win jobs,” Hemond told The Republic in 2002. “Also, when we sent some of our players to the winter leagues, they were sometimes (displacing) Latin players in their own leagues. We needed another option.”

Most recently, Hemond was on his second of two stints with the Diamondbac­ks. He served as the club’s senior vice president of baseball operations from 1996 to 2000. After another prolonged stint with the White Sox, Hemond came back to the Diamondbac­ks in 2007 to become a special assistant to Hall.

Hemond is survived by his wife, Margo; five children, Susan, Tere, Robert, Jay and Ryan; and four grandchild­ren, Taylor, Zane, Cameron and Natalie.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame remembered Hemond in this statement from chairman Jane Forbes Clark:

“Roland Hemond came to Cooperstow­n as the 2011 Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievemen­t Award winner after a lifetime spent in baseball assembling championsh­ip teams and building treasured relationsh­ips. With a perpetual twinkle in his eye, Roland had a love for the game that was fueled by a respect and admiration for all who played it. He worked tirelessly to help baseball family members in need and never wavered in his commitment to serve. We extend our condolence­s to his wife, Margo, and the entire Hemond family.”

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