End Of An Era
With Theo Epstein's formal resignation Saturday, the Boston Red Sox say goodbye to a very successful era. Terry Francona was the start of this change and more is sure to come, but the departure of Brookline native and lifelong Red Sox fan Epstein, really puts an exclamation point on the overhaul.
Epstein should have earned himself a free beer anywhere in New England with his performance, but there are those will say, and I have to confess, I have wondered it out loud myself, why would a Red Sox fan give up his dream job? Seriously, what real baseball fan out there hasn't wished the opportunity to be GM for a day, let alone 9 years?
Of course there are those pesky details, like 14-hour days, family life balance, stress, Boston media, players drinking during baseball games, the list goes on. It is being reported that Epstein is going to be President of the Cubs, which puts him in the Larry Lucchino role. Apparently Jed Hoyer will be GM and a bunch of former ex-Red Sox personnel will join them in Chicago. Funny, perhaps Lucchino is worried that Epstein is just years away from exclaiming, "The student has become the master."
Good luck to Epstein and the Cubs (except when they play the Red Sox), but on to more important things like who will run this team and who will manage this team?
It seems like a done deal that Ben Cherington will be named the next GM of the Red Sox. He has been here as long as Epstein and from all accounts, is ready to take on the job. He has his hands full after the disaster that was 2011.
As for the new manager, I would expect he'll be one who can crack that whip, but who incorporates sabremetrics (good-glavin!), and can handle the pressure cooker that is Boston. I have no clue who that person will be. I didn't think Francona was the right pick. I thought Joe Maddon was the right call. Shows you what I know.
Once the WS is over, Boston will get to making announcements and getting to work on 2012. The Red Sox have talent and money to spend, let's hope this overhaul yields something more than the 10-year. The Red Sox are a very fortunate organization, in that they have an A+ fan base and high revenues (courtesy of the aforementioned fan base). I sure hope ownership gets these next few weeks right.
Comments
I thought Epstein was a bit too smart for his own good. He seemed to view players like interchangeable parts -- as if he were running a rotisserie league instead of a team.
Why, for instance, do you let a guy like Beltre go? Was he a bad teammate? If you had kept him and kept Youkillis at first, why would you need Gonzalez? Wouldn't you then have money for other things? I suppose I could see letting Victor Martinez go, but there's another money ballplayer that served another team's interests this October. Also, why do you spend all that money on Crawford, only to put him (with all his speed) in the small confines of left field in Fenway?
It looks like the Red Sox and Yankees both have some pretty good young players coming up. Why not just play those guys, develop a sense of team, and then add veterans as needed?
Posted by: CWorey | October 26, 2011 12:55 PM |
If Youk stays healthy getting gozo is a huge improvement over Beltre short and long term.
Letting Victor Martinez go seemed like the right timing. As for Crawford in left field at Fenway, I think it is perfect. He should play shallow and take away tons of singles, no need for speed going back with the wall there. Perfect fit if they use him that way
Posted by: blmeanie![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://yankeesredsox.com/nav-commenters.gif)
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October 27, 2011 08:51 PM
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