Ex-Red Sox, M’s GM dies

Former Boston Red Sox general manager Lou Gorman, the architect of the team that came within one strike of winning the 1986 World Series, died early Friday morning of congestive heart failure. He was 82.

“All he wanted to do was make it to Opening Day, and he made it,” said his nephew, Tom Dougherty, who answered the phone at Gorman’s Weston, Mass., home. “He lived a great life. And he was truly one of the nicest men you ever wanted to meet.”

Gorman died peacefully at 1:50 a.m. after an illness of almost a year, surrounded by his family at Massachusetts General Hospital, Dougherty said.

Gorman was the director of baseball operations for the Seattle Mariners from 1976 through 1978 (they began play in 1977), then served as the team’s general manager for two years.

The Red Sox are planning a memorial in the upcoming days.

S.F. fan attacked

Police believe many baseball fans witnessed a beating that left a San Francisco Giants fan critically injured after the season-opening game at Dodger Stadium.

Two men in Dodgers clothing were exchanging barbed comments with three men in Giants gear as thousands of baseball fans left the stadium after Thursday night’s 2-1 Dodger victory, Detective T.J. Moore said.

The Giants fans tried to distance themselves from their assailants, and two made it away from them, but one was struck with fists on the back of the head and as he fell, his head hit the ground in Parking Lot 2 on the third-base side of the ballpark, Moore said.

Both attackers then kicked the victim, who suffered a head injury, and ran, Moore said.

Indians honor Feller

Before beginning their first season without Bob Feller in 75 years, the Cleveland Indians saluted the late Hall of Famer.

Each of the Indians players wore Feller’s No. 19 jersey during pregame introductions. A video tribute was shown on the scoreboard chronicling Feller’s remarkable life. His widow, Anne, gently placed a baseball on the mound to honor her husband, who spent his entire 18-year career with Cleveland.

Clearing the bases

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday underwent an appendectomy and the team is unsure how long he will be out. … Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez is sticking around for another year after receiving a $6 million, one-year contract extension for the 2012 season.