# Kid Gleason — Poetry character guide

> Kid Gleason in Poetry by Ring Lardner.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** William Gleason, William, White Sox, the Sox, Kid, William A. ( Kid ) Gleason Manager White Sox

**First appearance:** 0011-baseball-a-sport

## Snapshot

Manager of the Chicago White Sox, the dugout strategist whose silent, jaw-locked composure under fire becomes the stoic counterpoint to his players' noisy protests.

## Who they are

Kid Gleason, also called William A. Gleason, runs the White Sox from the bench, a manager whose authority is tested by bad calls and bellowing players. His distinctive trait is silence: while the Cub Brigade charges and teammates holler like calves at the umpire staff, Gleason stands mute, jaws locked, earning his half of the big hundred through sheer restraint. He matters because his poised defiance gives the baseball poems their moral center, a manager whose dignity measures the chaos around him.

## Relationships

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_friendship_

Kid Gleason is a rough-and-tumble companion, sharing camaraderie and streetwise banter with the narrator.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_friendship_

Kid Gleason is a rough-and-tumble companion, sharing camaraderie and streetwise banter with the narrator.

## In the story

### [Opening Chorus](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/opening-chorus)

Bid farewell as 'William Gleason'

### [Just Now—](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/just-now)

Referenced as part of the team's lore, likely the manager or player associated with the 'Hitless Wonders'.

### [William A. (Kid) Gleason](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/william-a-kid-gleason)

Manager of the White Sox, celebrated in verse for his managerial skills.

### [George Plant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/george-plant)

Mentioned as the manager of the White Sox team that suffered a defeat.

### [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations)

Referenced in an illustration with a poster for 'The Old Roman' and socks labeled 'White Socks'.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/characters/kid_gleason
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/poetry_19_se/characters