Garrity spent the seasons of 1968 - 1973 as the pitching coach for the Gambo Dolphins. During his six seasons with the team, the Dolphins finished in first place 3 times ('70, '72, '73), and made it to the King's Cup Championship once in 1970, losing to the Botwood Sailors.
With the expiration of his contract at the close of 1973, Garrity felt that his managerial stock had risen a bit since his early days with the weak Carbonear squads of '65/'66. McGlone had tried to extend Finn's contract once during the season, and then again at the outset of the playoffs - Garrity politely declined both times, stating a desire to get back behind the bench in a decision making role. His stubbornness would lead to an inactive 1974 spent staring at the phone.
In a puzzling move, Cornerbrook manager Bruno Gilder's contract was not renewed following a 1974 campaign that saw the Royals take home their second King's Cup in 4 years. Bench coach Les Lapointe was promoted to fill his shoes, having never been in this position before.
As the news of the vacant position caught steam amongst NH baseball circles, Garrity saw an opportunity. He called longtime friend Dooley McQuhenzie, who happened to be the GM of the Royals, and asked about the position. Two weeks later, Garrity was shaking hands with McQuhenzie for the cameras at the press conference they called to announce Garrity's new 5 year contract.
The contract was a good one, $85,000 a year to assist Lapointe, who would make a paltry $19,000 per year to manage the team for the next 4 seasons. Many in the press wondered if this would be the cause of tension on the bench, or if there might be a power struggle to follow. Others assumed that this was a sign that Lapointe was on a short leash, and would be replaced by Garrity at the first signs of failure. But, if the team keeps winning, will it matter?
Coach Report for Finn Garritty