Red Sox hire Hale to coach third base

CHICAGO -- Six years after leaving the Red Sox organization, DeMarlo Hale returned yesterday as the club's new third base coach, succeeding Dale Sveum, who accepted the same position with the Milwaukee Brewers last week.

Hale, the Texas Rangers' first base coach the last four seasons, had been on the club's radar since 2003, when the Sox interviewed him for the manager's opening that ultimately was filled by Terry Francona. Francona and Hale worked together in 2002 in Texas, when Francona served as manager Jerry Narron's bench coach and Hale coached first.

''We are very familiar with DeMarlo thanks to [Francona's] time with him in Texas, his Red Sox background, and our managerial search process two years ago," said Sox general manager Theo Epstein. ''We all feel that he has the knowledge, instincts, and character to be quite effective in this job."

Hale was the one African-American candidate the Sox interviewed during that search process.

Hale, 44, started his professional coaching career in the Red Sox organization in 1992 and last worked for the Sox in 1999, when as manager of Double A Trenton he compiled a 92-50 record and was named minor league manager of the year by several publications.

''DeMarlo is a great, great man," said Adam Everett, Trenton's shortstop in 1999 and now the Houston Astros' starting shortstop in the World Series. ''Not only a great man but a great baseball mind. He knows his stuff. He's great with players."

Hale was passed over for a promotion to Triple A after the '99 season and left the Sox organization. He managed Texas's Triple A club for two seasons, then joined the Rangers, coaching first base and the outfield.

Hale, a native of Chicago who lives in Florida, played five seasons in the Boston and Oakland organizations but never climbed above Double A.

With Hale at third base and former bullpen coach Bill Haselman expected to be moved to first, the Sox will have two new base coaches next season.

Red Sox owner John W. Henry is surprised at the attention being paid to his meeting next week with Greg Genske, agent for Manny Ramirez.

The prevailing expectation has been that Ramirez, through Genske, will reiterate his desire to be traded, as Ramirez has done periodically during his five-year Red Sox career.

However, Henry said yesterday that he expects Ramirez to attend and that these meetings are nothing out of the ordinary.