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[ September 30, 2002: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]
Full Version: Help Wanted
Wise guy.
I remember saying earlier in the summer that the Orioles didn't look that good despite their overachieving record. Well, they finished up with an astounding 4-32 run. The year they started out with 21 straight losses, their 36-game record was 5-31. So they actually did worse this year. The word in the paper here is that the coaching staff is staying but VP for Baseball Operations Syd Thrift will either step aside or be pushed, with speculation that Mike Flanagan would take his place. His qualification for running a franchise? Retired pitcher-turned-broadcaster.
And on a completely unrelated note, is there a shortage of the letter "i"? Syd? Cyd?
I remember saying earlier in the summer that the Orioles didn't look that good despite their overachieving record. Well, they finished up with an astounding 4-32 run. The year they started out with 21 straight losses, their 36-game record was 5-31. So they actually did worse this year. The word in the paper here is that the coaching staff is staying but VP for Baseball Operations Syd Thrift will either step aside or be pushed, with speculation that Mike Flanagan would take his place. His qualification for running a franchise? Retired pitcher-turned-broadcaster.
And on a completely unrelated note, is there a shortage of the letter "i"? Syd? Cyd?
From Ross Newhan in the Los Angeles Times, comes the following speculation:
A conservative estimate is that 10 of the 30 major league managers may not be back next year, and there may be several changes among general managers as well.
* Buck Showalter, along with Bob Melvin, the Arizona Diamondbacks' bench coach, is considered a possible replacement for Jerry Royster
* Among other interim managers whose positions seem in jeopardy are Bruce Kimm with the Chicago Cubs, Luis Pujols with the Detroit Tigers and Joel Skinner with the Cleveland Indians
[Joel Skinner is HOT! Of course, he's no Jim Thome, but still]
* A second straight season of 100 or more losses for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays could also claim Hal McRae, although shortstop Chris Gomez says there's not much a new manager could change, considering "we're just not very good."
[Chris Gomez would never make it as a politician. He's too honest}
* The Boston Red Sox, who still had a wild-card shot until Wednesday, may fire Grady Little, despite their high-profile search last spring
* The ongoing fallout of a tumultuous and underachieving season may have convinced New York Met owner Fred Wilpon that a housecleaning is needed, starting with Manager Bobby Valentine
* The uncertain status of the Montreal Expos affects Frank Robinson, who initially agreed to manage for one year and now says he is willing to stay
* The Texas Rangers have said that Jerry Narron will open next season as the manager, but Narron plans to leave for his North Carolina home after today's final game and will not participate in postseason meetings, indicating he is convinced that General Manager John Hart plans to make a change
* The San Francisco Giants have begun to address the expiring contract status of General Manager Brian Sabean, but Peter Magowan, the managing general partner, insists he will leave the decision on Manager Dusty Baker's expiring contract to Sabean, or whoever the GM is
* Mike Port, who was the Angels' general manager when they last went to the playoffs, could be out as Boston's interim general manager, replaced, perhaps, by Sabean or J.P. Ricciardi, the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager
* Steve Phillips could pay the price for the Mets' combustion, replaced, perhaps, by Omar Minaya, his former assistant and now Montreal GM
A conservative estimate is that 10 of the 30 major league managers may not be back next year, and there may be several changes among general managers as well.
* Buck Showalter, along with Bob Melvin, the Arizona Diamondbacks' bench coach, is considered a possible replacement for Jerry Royster
* Among other interim managers whose positions seem in jeopardy are Bruce Kimm with the Chicago Cubs, Luis Pujols with the Detroit Tigers and Joel Skinner with the Cleveland Indians
[Joel Skinner is HOT! Of course, he's no Jim Thome, but still]
* A second straight season of 100 or more losses for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays could also claim Hal McRae, although shortstop Chris Gomez says there's not much a new manager could change, considering "we're just not very good."
[Chris Gomez would never make it as a politician. He's too honest}
* The Boston Red Sox, who still had a wild-card shot until Wednesday, may fire Grady Little, despite their high-profile search last spring
* The ongoing fallout of a tumultuous and underachieving season may have convinced New York Met owner Fred Wilpon that a housecleaning is needed, starting with Manager Bobby Valentine
* The uncertain status of the Montreal Expos affects Frank Robinson, who initially agreed to manage for one year and now says he is willing to stay
* The Texas Rangers have said that Jerry Narron will open next season as the manager, but Narron plans to leave for his North Carolina home after today's final game and will not participate in postseason meetings, indicating he is convinced that General Manager John Hart plans to make a change
* The San Francisco Giants have begun to address the expiring contract status of General Manager Brian Sabean, but Peter Magowan, the managing general partner, insists he will leave the decision on Manager Dusty Baker's expiring contract to Sabean, or whoever the GM is
* Mike Port, who was the Angels' general manager when they last went to the playoffs, could be out as Boston's interim general manager, replaced, perhaps, by Sabean or J.P. Ricciardi, the Toronto Blue Jays' general manager
* Steve Phillips could pay the price for the Mets' combustion, replaced, perhaps, by Omar Minaya, his former assistant and now Montreal GM
Add Bobby Valentine to the list of the unemployed. Yeah, landing deadbeats like Burnitz and Vaughn was HIS fault! I know lots of people have issues with Valentine, but GM Steve Phillips has been given the benefit of the doubt for too long.
That's the problem I have with all these managerial moves. Tampa Bay has lost at least 90 games all 5 years of their existence. The Tigers have sucked big time for years. I feel bad for these guys because they are set up to take the fall for incompetent GM's and/or underachieving players.
When Tom Kelly took over the Twins, they were losers. Thank goodness Minnesota management had the good sense to gut it out. Two years later, they were World Series champs.
That's the problem I have with all these managerial moves. Tampa Bay has lost at least 90 games all 5 years of their existence. The Tigers have sucked big time for years. I feel bad for these guys because they are set up to take the fall for incompetent GM's and/or underachieving players.
When Tom Kelly took over the Twins, they were losers. Thank goodness Minnesota management had the good sense to gut it out. Two years later, they were World Series champs.
Shocking news out of the Borough of Queens. No shock about Valentine, who lost conrol of this team about 15 months ago. I can't believe the Mets are keeping Steve Phillips. What has he done to convince anyone that he deserves another year? Anyone with a hundred million to spend should be able to make the playoffs once every three years (well, except in Texas).
George, don't lump the Tigers in with all the other chronically incompetent organizations. They hired Dave Dombrowski just last year. Dombrowski not only oversaw the purchase of a World Series title for the Florida Marlins in '97 (and then oversaw the influx of all the young talent after he was ordered to conduct a firesale), Dombrowski built the excellent Expo minor league system and was responsible for all that talent, now scattered about the major leagues that nearly won the World Series in '94 (had there been a post-season). Even with the presence of the evil Jeffrey Loria, Dombrowski left a Florida team much closer to winning than the Tiger team he took over. So give Detroit time. The pathologically incompetent Randy Smith has been gone for only a year. The Tigers are finally on the right road.
Which is more than you can say about Tampa Bay and M'waukee.
[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: Charlie in the Trees ]
George, don't lump the Tigers in with all the other chronically incompetent organizations. They hired Dave Dombrowski just last year. Dombrowski not only oversaw the purchase of a World Series title for the Florida Marlins in '97 (and then oversaw the influx of all the young talent after he was ordered to conduct a firesale), Dombrowski built the excellent Expo minor league system and was responsible for all that talent, now scattered about the major leagues that nearly won the World Series in '94 (had there been a post-season). Even with the presence of the evil Jeffrey Loria, Dombrowski left a Florida team much closer to winning than the Tiger team he took over. So give Detroit time. The pathologically incompetent Randy Smith has been gone for only a year. The Tigers are finally on the right road.
Which is more than you can say about Tampa Bay and M'waukee.
[ October 01, 2002: Message edited by: Charlie in the Trees ]
Add the Ranger's Jerry Narron to the list of unemployed. Not a great time to be a MLB manager unless you're Mike Scioscia.
Getting rid of Bobby Valentine was at least a year too late, but I'm shocked the Mets are keeping Steve Phillips. He's the one who's actually executed a series of boneheaded moves the past few years that have left the Mutts as a laughingstock. Mets ownership talked late in the season about how embarrased they were about the team's performance both on and off the field; on both those scores Phillips comes up at least as wanting as his players.
Echoing MunsonMan:
Mets fired wrong man (Bob Klapisch, espn.com)
I've always found Steve Phillips' talk-and-say-nothing CEO blandness far more obnoxious than Valentine's loose-cannon egoism, maybe because I think upper-management types are in the circle of hell that adjoins Hitler and Genghis Khan's joint suite.
Mets fired wrong man (Bob Klapisch, espn.com)
I've always found Steve Phillips' talk-and-say-nothing CEO blandness far more obnoxious than Valentine's loose-cannon egoism, maybe because I think upper-management types are in the circle of hell that adjoins Hitler and Genghis Khan's joint suite.
Another one bites the dust--Jerry Royster has been fired by the Brewers.
According to a report on ESPN.com, the Mets were denied permission to talk to Lou Piniella. A Mariners source says Piniella will be back with the M's next year and no one will be granted permission.
Meanwhile, the Mets have already interviewed coach Chris Chambliss and are interested in talking to Buck Showalter.
Meanwhile, the Mets have already interviewed coach Chris Chambliss and are interested in talking to Buck Showalter.
I also thought I heard that the Mets will be interviewing, or already have interviewed, Lee Mazilli and Willie Randolph.
[quote]Originally posted by George_vikingfan:
Add Bobby Valentine to the list of the unemployed. Yeah, landing deadbeats like Burnitz and Vaughn was HIS fault! I know lots of people have issues with Valentine, but GM Steve Phillips has been given the benefit of the doubt for too long.
[QUOTE]
How Steve Phillips has been able to keep his job as a major league GM remains one of the greatest mysteries in sports -- does he have incriminating photos of Fred Wilpon with farm animals or something? ....as Bob Klapisch stated in his well written column Valentine was clearly made the scapegoat when it was Phillips who chose to acquire busts Jeremy Burnitz, Mo Vaughn, Jeff D'Amico, Roberto Alomar, along with grossly overpaying Rey Ordonez (along with all the others) who he raved was the next coming of Ozzie Smith.
As Klapisch illustrates, Phillips has continually acted like an insecure, unprofessional brat (and this isn't even counting his extramarital affair with the former Mets employee that the organization paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to resolve in an "out of court settlement") and has never demonstrated any backbone to stand up to his crybaby, underproducing ballplayers with guaranteed multi-million dollar contracts.
As Klapisch details, "Phillips' distrust and professional dislike for Valentine had grown so steep, he refused to let the manager attend the annual winter meetings -- a ban that Valentine promised to fight this coming offseason....The GM refused to discipline Bobby Bonilla after he challenged Valentine to a fight in the dugout in 1999. And Phillips again took no action after it was leaked Bonilla and Rickey Henderson were playing cards in the clubhouse during the final moments of the 1999 NLCS against the Braves." -- and you call that appropriate behavior by your GM, Mr. Wilpon?
At least Valentine conducted himself with class and treated others with respect, which is more than can be said for Phillips....the quote from Valentine sums up Phillips' character completely when he reiterated that "Nobody in this organization has done more for the community than I have. Steve Phillips has done nothing in the community. I went to his church for a father-son night, HIS church, and he was late."
Regardless of who they hire as their manager, until the Mets replace the clown that is occupying their GM's office they will NEVER make it to another World Series.
[ October 05, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]
Add Bobby Valentine to the list of the unemployed. Yeah, landing deadbeats like Burnitz and Vaughn was HIS fault! I know lots of people have issues with Valentine, but GM Steve Phillips has been given the benefit of the doubt for too long.
[QUOTE]
How Steve Phillips has been able to keep his job as a major league GM remains one of the greatest mysteries in sports -- does he have incriminating photos of Fred Wilpon with farm animals or something? ....as Bob Klapisch stated in his well written column Valentine was clearly made the scapegoat when it was Phillips who chose to acquire busts Jeremy Burnitz, Mo Vaughn, Jeff D'Amico, Roberto Alomar, along with grossly overpaying Rey Ordonez (along with all the others) who he raved was the next coming of Ozzie Smith.
As Klapisch illustrates, Phillips has continually acted like an insecure, unprofessional brat (and this isn't even counting his extramarital affair with the former Mets employee that the organization paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to resolve in an "out of court settlement") and has never demonstrated any backbone to stand up to his crybaby, underproducing ballplayers with guaranteed multi-million dollar contracts.
As Klapisch details, "Phillips' distrust and professional dislike for Valentine had grown so steep, he refused to let the manager attend the annual winter meetings -- a ban that Valentine promised to fight this coming offseason....The GM refused to discipline Bobby Bonilla after he challenged Valentine to a fight in the dugout in 1999. And Phillips again took no action after it was leaked Bonilla and Rickey Henderson were playing cards in the clubhouse during the final moments of the 1999 NLCS against the Braves." -- and you call that appropriate behavior by your GM, Mr. Wilpon?
At least Valentine conducted himself with class and treated others with respect, which is more than can be said for Phillips....the quote from Valentine sums up Phillips' character completely when he reiterated that "Nobody in this organization has done more for the community than I have. Steve Phillips has done nothing in the community. I went to his church for a father-son night, HIS church, and he was late."
Regardless of who they hire as their manager, until the Mets replace the clown that is occupying their GM's office they will NEVER make it to another World Series.
[ October 05, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]
[quote]Originally posted by Jim Allen:
The Boston Red Sox may fire Grady Little, despite their high-profile search last spring
It looks like Grady's keeping his job for another season. In an interview last Wednesday, Larry Lucchino made it clear that the owners want him to stay, pending the approval of their yet-to-be-selected permanent GM. Thursday, Little opened up three staff positions when he fired batting coach Dwight Evans and first base coach Tommy Harper, and (reluctantly) accepted Mike Stanley's resignation as bench coach. He's expected to bring in Chalie Manuel to replace Evans.
The Boston Red Sox may fire Grady Little, despite their high-profile search last spring
It looks like Grady's keeping his job for another season. In an interview last Wednesday, Larry Lucchino made it clear that the owners want him to stay, pending the approval of their yet-to-be-selected permanent GM. Thursday, Little opened up three staff positions when he fired batting coach Dwight Evans and first base coach Tommy Harper, and (reluctantly) accepted Mike Stanley's resignation as bench coach. He's expected to bring in Chalie Manuel to replace Evans.
[quote]Salary negotiable. Uniforms provided. Minimal job security. First class travel and accomodations for third class organizations!
as long as it gets me in the locker room!
whoops - ! does that add fuel to the fire of gay men being in the locker room?
as long as it gets me in the locker room!
whoops - ! does that add fuel to the fire of gay men being in the locker room?
Looks as if one of the vacancies has been filled. The Tigers have reportedly hired former shortstop Alan Trammell. From ESPN.com:
[quote]The Detroit Tigers made former shortstop Alan Trammell their next manager, ESPN has confirmed.
The club has scheduled a news conference for 6 p.m. ET at Joe Louis Arena, where they are expected to announce the hiring.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers offered Trammell the job Tuesday, but the financial details were still being worked out.
Detroit received permission last week from the San Diego Padres to interview Trammell, their first-base coach.
Dave Dombrowski, the team's president and general manager, would not comment Tuesday when reached by the Free Press, and Trammell was not available for comment.
After his interview Friday, Trammell said: "Based on the tone and conversation, I believe it went very well."
Trammell, 44, was one of only three known candidates to fill the job. The Tigers interviewed New York Yankees third-base coach Willie Randolph and Triple-A Toledo manager Bruce Fields in the last week. The Tigers received permission from Oakland to interview bench coach Ken Macha after the Athletics' Division Series loss to Minnesota, but an interview never happened.
The Tigers fired Luis Pujols last week after the Tigers finished 55-100 under him following Phil Garner's dismissal in April.
The Tigers have not had a winning record since 1993 and tied Tampa Bay for the worst record -- 55-106 -- in the majors this season.
Trammell hit .285 with 185 home runs and 1,003 RBI as Detroit's shortstop from 1977-96. The six-time All-Star won four Gold Gloves and was the Most Valuable Player in the 1984 World Series, when the Tigers won their last championship.
Trammell also was endorsed for the job by former manager Sparky Anderson.
"He's a very impressive individual," Dombrowski said last week. "He presents himself very well. He's a very quality baseball person who absolutely loves the Detroit Tigers."
[quote]The Detroit Tigers made former shortstop Alan Trammell their next manager, ESPN has confirmed.
The club has scheduled a news conference for 6 p.m. ET at Joe Louis Arena, where they are expected to announce the hiring.
According to the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers offered Trammell the job Tuesday, but the financial details were still being worked out.
Detroit received permission last week from the San Diego Padres to interview Trammell, their first-base coach.
Dave Dombrowski, the team's president and general manager, would not comment Tuesday when reached by the Free Press, and Trammell was not available for comment.
After his interview Friday, Trammell said: "Based on the tone and conversation, I believe it went very well."
Trammell, 44, was one of only three known candidates to fill the job. The Tigers interviewed New York Yankees third-base coach Willie Randolph and Triple-A Toledo manager Bruce Fields in the last week. The Tigers received permission from Oakland to interview bench coach Ken Macha after the Athletics' Division Series loss to Minnesota, but an interview never happened.
The Tigers fired Luis Pujols last week after the Tigers finished 55-100 under him following Phil Garner's dismissal in April.
The Tigers have not had a winning record since 1993 and tied Tampa Bay for the worst record -- 55-106 -- in the majors this season.
Trammell hit .285 with 185 home runs and 1,003 RBI as Detroit's shortstop from 1977-96. The six-time All-Star won four Gold Gloves and was the Most Valuable Player in the 1984 World Series, when the Tigers won their last championship.
Trammell also was endorsed for the job by former manager Sparky Anderson.
"He's a very impressive individual," Dombrowski said last week. "He presents himself very well. He's a very quality baseball person who absolutely loves the Detroit Tigers."
Rangers hire Showalter
Down to Dusty and Macha as the last big names, I guess.
[ October 11, 2002: Message edited by: cubsfan1982 ]
Down to Dusty and Macha as the last big names, I guess.
[ October 11, 2002: Message edited by: cubsfan1982 ]
Thank God! Showalter was my *nightmare* vision of a Mets' manager... We have heard before that he has a stick up his ass about the possibility of gay players (along with wearing your cap backwards during BP), correct?
Yikes, wasn't aware Showalter had spoken out on this subject, Bill W. Any idea when, to whom, etc?
Nope, nothing public that I'm aware of, just part of the "Buck's a control freak" general whispering.
[quote]Originally posted by cubsfan1982:
Down to Dusty and Macha as the last big names, I guess.
Don't think Dusty will be available, even if Giants somehow manage to lose the NLCS.
Down to Dusty and Macha as the last big names, I guess.
Don't think Dusty will be available, even if Giants somehow manage to lose the NLCS.
Dusty has apparently all but eliminated himself from consideration for the Cubs job but has expressed considerable interest in the Mets job....after being in SF for a decade, I can see why Baker might be intrigued by managing in the Big Apple -- particularly if the Mets get in a bidding war with the Giants and make it "worth his while" to move east.
[ January 03, 2003: Message edited by: Ump25 ]
Erm, #1, I can see the reasoning.
#2? Makes no sense. What are the Cubs supposed to do? Force blacks to come to the games? Is there specifically racist issues with Cubs management that keeps black fans away or is it just that, in general blacks aren't interested in baseball? Odd.
#2? Makes no sense. What are the Cubs supposed to do? Force blacks to come to the games? Is there specifically racist issues with Cubs management that keeps black fans away or is it just that, in general blacks aren't interested in baseball? Odd.
Until now, I'd never heard that Dusty Baker had said those types of things. Obviously, he's backed away from those thoughts if he hasn't said anything recently about not taking the Cubs job. If he said those things recently, I'm sure the Chicago papers would've been all over it like flies on shit.
The Red Sox have announced local boy and Lucchino prodigy Theo Epstein as the team's new GM, at 28 the youngest GM ever in the major leagues. Film at 11.
[quote]Originally posted by redsoxbreath:
The Red Sox have announced local boy and Lucchino prodigy Theo Epstein as the team's new GM, at 28 the youngest GM ever in the major leagues. Film at 11.
A 28 year old manager! He's hot looking too. I'll have to tune into some more Redsox games next season.
The Red Sox have announced local boy and Lucchino prodigy Theo Epstein as the team's new GM, at 28 the youngest GM ever in the major leagues. Film at 11.
A 28 year old manager! He's hot looking too. I'll have to tune into some more Redsox games next season.
[quote]Originally posted by billsf:
A 28 year old manager! He's hot looking too.
[QUOTE]
Yeah, Theo's blue eyes are definitely mesmerizing -- I sure wouldn't mind staring into them for hours at a time....actually, he's the GM, not the field manager (Grady Little, who's old enough to be Theo's father, still has that job).
As much as I hate to admit it, the Red Sox appear to be assembling an impressive management team, led by team President Larry Lucchino, who ran the Orioles for a few years and oversaw the design and construction of Camden Yards in the early 90s (back when they were competitive -- no coincidence -- before he joined the list of thousands who got fed up with Peter Angelos' meddling and left for greener pastures in San Diego....btw, even the Padres went to the World Series during Lucchino's highly underrated reign there in SoCal)....in either event, I would bet that the BoSox 84 year run with no World Championship will likely come to an end in the next 5-6 years.
Btw, any word on whether young Mr. Epstein is married?....based upon his looks, I'd be amazed if he wasn't taken by now.
[ November 25, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]
A 28 year old manager! He's hot looking too.
[QUOTE]
Yeah, Theo's blue eyes are definitely mesmerizing -- I sure wouldn't mind staring into them for hours at a time....actually, he's the GM, not the field manager (Grady Little, who's old enough to be Theo's father, still has that job).
As much as I hate to admit it, the Red Sox appear to be assembling an impressive management team, led by team President Larry Lucchino, who ran the Orioles for a few years and oversaw the design and construction of Camden Yards in the early 90s (back when they were competitive -- no coincidence -- before he joined the list of thousands who got fed up with Peter Angelos' meddling and left for greener pastures in San Diego....btw, even the Padres went to the World Series during Lucchino's highly underrated reign there in SoCal)....in either event, I would bet that the BoSox 84 year run with no World Championship will likely come to an end in the next 5-6 years.
Btw, any word on whether young Mr. Epstein is married?....based upon his looks, I'd be amazed if he wasn't taken by now.
[ November 25, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]
He doesn't wear a wedding ring in any of the pictures I've seen.
My GM was Student of the Month at Brookline High - Boston Globe, 11/26/02
The scuttlebutt about Theo Epstein, the youngest MLB General Manager ever: The Red Sox are having The Discovery Channel piped into the executive office ... Theo can't be on "Sports Final" 'cause it's after his bedtime ... Guess who gets to throw out the first ball at Fenway's annual Kids Opening Day ... Theo's favorite Red Sox player is Wally the Green Monster.
Jokes aside, Epstein has an interesting history, and his appointment is another clear sign that it's not the same old Red Sox front office. His quoted tribute to Dan Duquette: "I'm not standing here thinking I have all the answers." Red Sox Nation got that one. I think I like this guy.
The scuttlebutt about Theo Epstein, the youngest MLB General Manager ever: The Red Sox are having The Discovery Channel piped into the executive office ... Theo can't be on "Sports Final" 'cause it's after his bedtime ... Guess who gets to throw out the first ball at Fenway's annual Kids Opening Day ... Theo's favorite Red Sox player is Wally the Green Monster.
Jokes aside, Epstein has an interesting history, and his appointment is another clear sign that it's not the same old Red Sox front office. His quoted tribute to Dan Duquette: "I'm not standing here thinking I have all the answers." Red Sox Nation got that one. I think I like this guy.
[quote]Originally posted by redsoxbreath:
The scuttlebutt about Theo Epstein, the youngest MLB General Manager ever: The Red Sox are having The Discovery Channel piped into the executive office ...
This joke would work better with the other ones if you change the network from Discovery Channel to Nickelodeon.
The scuttlebutt about Theo Epstein, the youngest MLB General Manager ever: The Red Sox are having The Discovery Channel piped into the executive office ...
This joke would work better with the other ones if you change the network from Discovery Channel to Nickelodeon.
Yeah, I dunno Joe, maybe Dan Shaughnessy's kid watches Discovery instead of Nick. Seemed kind of odd to me, too. Maybe it's Boston intellectual one-upsmanship.
I agree with you RedSoxBreath....the more I read about Theo the more I like him as well -- I honestly think that the Sox organization is in great hands (although only time will tell, of course) and despite his relative inexperience Mr. Epstein certainly seems to be a highly intelligent baseball man....every job he's ever had has involved baseball beginning with his internship in Baltimore (working for Lucchino) while Theo was a freshman at Yale....not to mention the fact that his obvious passion and exuberance for the Red Sox (hell, he grew up LESS THAN 1 MILE from Fenway in a house that his parents still reside in) has got to count for something....in addition, as I mentioned in an earlier post, BoSox CEO Larry Lucchino is the most brilliant executive in the game and has been for over a decade and if he thinks Theo is qualified there is no doubt that he will do wonders for New England's hometown team -- and it pains me to say that after spending the better part of the past two decades at Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards (which incidentally was the brainstorm of Larry Lucchino when he was very successfully running the Orioles in the late 80s and early 90s) rooting against the hated Red Sox...if he is able to bring a World Championship to Red Sox Nation, Theo will be the most heralded man in New England -- and probably the entire country for that matter.
I especially liked the comment made by his father who recalls Theo saying when he was 8 or 9, "Dad, when I'm your age, if my life hasn't been spent in sports, I'll be a disappointed man"....well, it sure sounds like he has nothing to be disappointed about so far -- talk about a dream come true!....with the exception of Cal Ripken becoming a star for his hometown team while playing for his father, I can't think of a better "feel good" story than this one....and to fulfill that dream at age 28 -- WOW!
One final point -- I know that the personal lives of GM's are hardly commonplace news but given the media's fascination with every bit of personal information related to anyone remotely associated with sports (particularly in Boston with their multiple sports radio call in shows), did anyone else find it at least a little interesting that there was never any mention of a girlfriend?...I know it's probably nothing given the fact that: (1) Theo has likely had little time for much of a "social life" while earning his law degree in San Diego (at Lucchino's urging) and simultaneously working full-time for the Padres -- hardly a small accomplishment to say the least and (2) If Theo had a "reputation" as an "excessive partier" like many twenty-somethings does anyone think John Henry and Larry Lucchino would literally put the $600+ million they already have invested in this ballclub in the hands of some "kid"?....maybe it's wishful thinking given Theo's obvious good looks, but it at least raised a question or two in my mind -- not that the esteemed Boston media would ever dare delve into the personal life of a local sports "celebrity". ...it was also a bit interesting in one of the columns where Theo mentioned the only downside he sees with accepting the position was losing some of his privacy and anonymity -- the fact that one of his boyhood friends and high school teammates is now a VP of Sales for the Sox (he also formerly worked for the Padres for several years along with Theo) should lessen the "burden" somewhat.
In either event, I honestly think the Red Sox organization is in great hands with Lucchino, Epstein and company running the show -- I'm just envious those men did not have an opportunity to continue to flourish in Baltimore where they both worked less than a decade ago and enable the once proud Orioles organization to reap the benefits of their labor and brilliant baseball minds....oh well, it may be premature but I think the Curse of the Bambino has finally been put to rest (but, as with most things in life, only time will tell).....but it seems to me that the BoSox fans sure have a lot to be excited and optimistic about now.
[ November 26, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]
I especially liked the comment made by his father who recalls Theo saying when he was 8 or 9, "Dad, when I'm your age, if my life hasn't been spent in sports, I'll be a disappointed man"....well, it sure sounds like he has nothing to be disappointed about so far -- talk about a dream come true!....with the exception of Cal Ripken becoming a star for his hometown team while playing for his father, I can't think of a better "feel good" story than this one....and to fulfill that dream at age 28 -- WOW!
One final point -- I know that the personal lives of GM's are hardly commonplace news but given the media's fascination with every bit of personal information related to anyone remotely associated with sports (particularly in Boston with their multiple sports radio call in shows), did anyone else find it at least a little interesting that there was never any mention of a girlfriend?...I know it's probably nothing given the fact that: (1) Theo has likely had little time for much of a "social life" while earning his law degree in San Diego (at Lucchino's urging) and simultaneously working full-time for the Padres -- hardly a small accomplishment to say the least and (2) If Theo had a "reputation" as an "excessive partier" like many twenty-somethings does anyone think John Henry and Larry Lucchino would literally put the $600+ million they already have invested in this ballclub in the hands of some "kid"?....maybe it's wishful thinking given Theo's obvious good looks, but it at least raised a question or two in my mind -- not that the esteemed Boston media would ever dare delve into the personal life of a local sports "celebrity". ...it was also a bit interesting in one of the columns where Theo mentioned the only downside he sees with accepting the position was losing some of his privacy and anonymity -- the fact that one of his boyhood friends and high school teammates is now a VP of Sales for the Sox (he also formerly worked for the Padres for several years along with Theo) should lessen the "burden" somewhat.
In either event, I honestly think the Red Sox organization is in great hands with Lucchino, Epstein and company running the show -- I'm just envious those men did not have an opportunity to continue to flourish in Baltimore where they both worked less than a decade ago and enable the once proud Orioles organization to reap the benefits of their labor and brilliant baseball minds....oh well, it may be premature but I think the Curse of the Bambino has finally been put to rest (but, as with most things in life, only time will tell).....but it seems to me that the BoSox fans sure have a lot to be excited and optimistic about now.
[ November 26, 2002: Message edited by: gamecock ]
More local dish on Theo Epstein (emphasis mine):
[quote]He's now being called Boston's most eligible bachelor - something his twin says he finds "hilarious." Theo would like to set the record straight. "I am involved," he says, adding that he wants to "protect the privacy of the relationship." He will allow that she's 24 and a consultant in the biotech industry.
That fact (or ploy) aside, it's a homey profile of Theo's supportive social environment.
[ December 05, 2002: Message edited by: redsoxbreath ]
[quote]He's now being called Boston's most eligible bachelor - something his twin says he finds "hilarious." Theo would like to set the record straight. "I am involved," he says, adding that he wants to "protect the privacy of the relationship." He will allow that she's 24 and a consultant in the biotech industry.
That fact (or ploy) aside, it's a homey profile of Theo's supportive social environment.
[ December 05, 2002: Message edited by: redsoxbreath ]
A Baseball Prospectus article on why acquiring Karros and Grudz typifies the Cubs' shortsightedness...
Am I the only one who think the Red Sox hiring Bill James could be a bigger move than Theo Epstein's ascension? (Theo being young and cute aside.)
Am I the only one who think the Red Sox hiring Bill James could be a bigger move than Theo Epstein's ascension? (Theo being young and cute aside.)
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