Locker Room Politics

Tucked in amongst the normal “Are we going to trade Jacoby?” and “When is the Santana deal going to happen?” and “Who is going to start in center field?”" questions in the latest Red Sox Mailbag was a question I’ve always been curious about myself:

I’ve always wondered about how lockers are assigned in the clubhouse. Who does the assigning? Who is next to whom? Where are the “best” locations in the room, and who has lockers there? Do veterans get to pick their own locker location? Do players change their locker location? Is it possible to get a layout of who is where or is that private information?
– Abbe B., Vineyard Haven, Mass.

Good question, Abbe B. from Vineyard Haven. I’m less concerned with the specifics of exactly who has which locker where, and more curious about who decides where everyone’s locker is (and how), and if there’s any interesting stories about people having to switch lockers during the season– you know, Okajima can’t stand the music Papelbon listens to or the smell of Doug Mirabelli’s chicken parm leftovers makes Schilling sick. That’s like a little peek into the inner politics of managing the team in general. The response answered a little of that- but not much:

Red Sox equipment manager Joe Cochran is mainly in charge of aligning the lockers in the clubhouse. Cochran has been with the Red Sox for a long time, and he has a good understanding of the dynamic of the team and how to make everyone most comfortable. I’m sure that in certain cases, Cochran asks Francona or Epstein where to put certain players.

When you walk in to the clubhouse and look to your left, it’s a long row of most of your position players. In that row, you will find Pedroia, Lowell, Alex Cora, Julio Lugo, Youkilis and others. Off in their own little corner are Ortiz and Ramirez. To the right is another little corner tucked away where you’ll find Varitek, Curt Schilling and Tim Wakefield. To the right of that is “pitchers’ row,” where you’ll find relievers such as Mike Timlin, Javy Lopez, Manny Delcarmen, etc.

At the end of that row is one more corner, where you’ll find Hideki Okajima, Matsuzaka, Beckett and Papelbon. Papelbon’s space has always gone to a player with some clout on the team. It once belonged to Carl Yastrzemski, and it has been passed on to others such as Dwight Evans, Bret Saberhagen, Pedro Martinez and Keith Foulke through the years.

This little tidbit raises a few points: (1) I wonder which “certain players” the equipment manager has had to go to Theo and Tito about; (2) I love that Manny and Papi are “off in their own little corner” – that just seems RIGHT somehow; and (3) Papelbon’s locker placement means he has “clout” with the team. This is both awesome and terrifying.