When news of Jerry Krause’s passing at 77 made its waves through the internet today, fans and media figures alike wasted no time sharing fond memories of his . Krause led the Bulls from 1985-2003, building all six of the team’s championship squads. A lot of common memories fans shared of Krause include the Scottie Pippen trade, pictures of Krause with his team’s six championship trophies, or perhaps even his contentious relationship with Phil Jackson.
What many fans may not know about Krause, however, was that he spent about two decades as a baseball scout as well. He scouted for both the Indians, Mariners and A’s and White Sox in the 60s and 70s; he was actually hired by the Bulls after a six-year stint with the White Sox.
After he left basketball in 2003, he came back to scout baseball. First, this came with the Yankees as a special assistant. Then the Mets bought him in as a scout in 2005, where he worked under Omar Minaya. He said in a 2008 interview that he enjoyed not having to be in charge of an organization while with the Mets.
“Somebody asked me the other day what I did and I said I was a private in Omar’s army,” Krause said. “The lady looked at me like I was nuts. I said “I’m a private in Omar Minaya’s Army.” I like being a private now. I enjoy it. My days of being a general are over.”
Krause’s tenure with the team included a division championship in 2006, and three other winning seasons. He was dismissed from the team after the 2008 season, but continued to work in baseball as director of international scouting with the White Sox in 2010 and as a special assistant to the GM with the Diamondbacks from 2011-2014. Krause said last year that if it weren’t for his osteomyelitis, a bone infection, that he would still be scouting baseball.
“Would I still be scouting if I was healthy? Yep. Would it be stupid to still be scouting at my age? Probably,” Krause said. “But scouting is still fun. I just can’t do it anymore.”
