Larry Lucchino, feisty force behind retro ballpark revolution and curse-busting Red Sox, dies at 78

By JIMMY GOLEN
AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) — Former Red Sox, Padres and Orioles executive Larry Lucchino has died. He was the force behind baseball’s retro ballpark revolution and the transformation of the Boston Red Sox from cursed losers to World Series champions. Lucchino was 78. He died of congenital heart failure. He had survived cancer three times. Lucchino’s career included three major league baseball franchises and one in the NFL. After law school, Lucchino landed a job with Washington lawyer Edward Bennett Williams and worked on Williams’ sports teams. With the Baltimore Orioles, Lucchino helped build Camden Yards, the ballpark that ended the trend of cookie-cutter stadiums.