Alex Cora spent a good hour answering questions about his role in Houston's 2017 cheating scandal, his thoughts on the process that led to his return to the Red Sox, and the state of the team he is re-inheriting.
The final question thrown his way was a little lighter: How the hell did he lose weight during a pandemic?
Tomase: 'Wasn't worth it' for Cora to steal signs in Boston too
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Cora looked noticeably trimmer during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, a state of affairs that's sure to rankle those of us who have packed on the pounds over the last eight months. Cora's secret?
"I started running like Forrest Gump," he said. "Start running, all of a sudden I started losing weight."
There was more to it.
"We ended up kind of building a gym in our garage," Cora said. "I became a good cook. They asked me actually, it's not fair for you guys, what I learned over the course of the pandemic is I became a good cook and a good pre-K teacher, I mean, amazing. Primary colors, secondary colors, the kits with the English, amazing. But we ended up buying one of those assault (exercise) bikes, whatever it's called, we got that, we got the rowing machine, we got a treadmill."
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So, can Cora maintain his momentum now that he's about to return to the stress of being Red Sox manager, which might top even the stress of being unemployed?
Tomase: Sox ownership insists it didn't force Cora return
"I know that now that I'm back to this grind, it's about to change, I think," Cora said. "It's about to change."