Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
January 20, 2006
The Theo Views

Dan Shaughnessey is not kind to Theo Epstein in his analysis of the comeback:

Unfortunately, there wasn't much honor or glory in Theo's comportment after he left Fenway in that gorilla suit Oct. 31. Rather, he undermined the credibility of the entire Boston front office by straddling the fence regarding his place in the organization. He repeatedly refused offers to return, but would not rule out coming back. He revealed himself to be every bit the cutthroat politician Lucchino is. He's been at best, immature and at worst, duplicitous.

With his silence and refusal to take himself off the map of Red Sox Nation, Epstein allowed himself to be put in a no-lose situation -- at the expense of everyone else currently toiling in baseball operations at Yawkey Way. Through his unofficial spokesman from ESPN (the inimitable Gammons), we heard Theo was behind deals the Sox made. He got credit for the good transactions, whether he deserved it or not, but would never be blamed if any failed.

Like a character from Camelot, Theo remained forever young, forever brilliant, forever the man who brought a championship to Boston. And as long as he operated in the shadows, or allowed us to believe he was still involved, he couldn't lose. This dynamic made Theo less than popular with some of his hard-working friends in baseball operations.

Tony Massarotti in the Boston Herald (in my opinion, the definitive voice on this story from the beginning) also sees the downside for Theo:

On the surface, it would be easy to celebrate Epstein’s return as a glorious reconciliation, but it would be foolish to do so. We already know too much. When Epstein walked away from the Red Sox on Oct. 31, his departure was looked upon nobly. In part because Lucchino diddled around during contract negotiations, Epstein thumbed his nose at the Sox and walked out the door. He had his whole life in front of him. Who needed the Red Sox? Now, Epstein is returning, and we cannot help but wonder: Why? Epstein is young and smart, and he (along with Lucchino and Henry) built the Red Sox into champions generally by making shrewd decisions. The Red Sox played the percentages during their run to the world title, yet it certainly seems now — for Epstein, in particular — the chances of failure are much greater than chances of success.

The Red Sox keep turning into the Yankees. This is the Billy Martin saga in the front office. Here's Shaughnessy on John Henry (emphasis added):

Henry and Lucchino were in Phoenix yesterday at the owners' meetings. I spoke with Henry late in the afternoon before he boarded a jet to fly home to Boston. I told him the same thing I had told him in December. I thought it looked as if he could not make a decision. I thought he should either fire Lucchino or tell Epstein to get lost. Nobody was going to buy the idea of Theo walking back into the same situation he walked away from in October. Why was Theo still hanging around, talking to co-GMs Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer? Why was the light still on if there was so much friction between Epstein and Lucchino?

Steinbrenner and Martin. I hate you you're fired. I love you come back.

Boston's front office is a soap opera. New York's front office is the calmest and quietest I've seen it since George took over. Who'd have thunk it?


Posted by David Pinto at 08:08 AM | Management | TrackBack (0)
Comments

Shaughnessy is a master of producing drama where there isn't any...

Posted by: Jason at January 20, 2006 08:36 AM

This is more Boston media hype than anything else. There are simpler explanations, but they don't play as well. What it all comes down to is that as the smoke clears, the Red Sox still have a pretty good team and a farm system positioned to deliver value in the near, mid and long term.

Shaughnessy is kind of hilariously shrill. I wonder if he and Mike Lupica got into the same room, they'd somehow explode. One can only hope.

Posted by: Dave S. at January 20, 2006 08:51 AM

Shaughnessy is a muppet, and Massarotti's column is as devoid of firm convictions as he accuses Theo of being. Why are we supposed to think there's anything worthwhile in these columns again?

Posted by: Tim at January 20, 2006 09:42 AM

Agreed. All my Sox fan friends were ecstatic last night.

Further, Shaughnessey confuses me. Why would Theo have put himself into a no-lose situation at the expense of 4.5 million dollars? Unless he now stands to make more (or even the same), then this article stands no rationale ground.

Posted by: Nat at January 20, 2006 09:51 AM

This is Shaugnessy trying to take credit for running the team. He's dying to be an important part of the Sox.

First, in October, he is generally blamed for reporting the leak that upset Theo just as he was about to finalize his contract.

Now, he's implying that because he asked such pointed questions of John Henry, Theo is coming back. Uggh.

Thanks, Dan, for saving the Red Sox. You're our hero.

It's also funny that during the John Harrington/Dan Duquette ran the Red Sox, Shaugnessy complained about how thick-headed and arrogant the Sox' front office was. Now that the Sox are actually willing to admit they're not perfect and don't always make perfect decisions, they're wishy-washy.

So, just remember folks: the goal here is to sell newspapers, above all. Just like when Johnny Damon went to the Yankees, it's all about the money.

Posted by: David at January 20, 2006 09:59 AM

I don't know any serious Sox fans who would read Dan S. unless it was at gunpoint. The guy is a total hack and has made himself a running joke by injecting himself into stories, making wild accusations, and being Lucchino's mouthpiece. I wouldn't waste time linking or quoting him if I were you.

Anyway, Theo being back (officially) can't be anything but a positive for the team - though I question how much difference it will ultimately make for the 2006 season. As for the soap opera stuff, like many people I like baseball not melodrama and generally ignore this kind of off-the-field crap.

Posted by: Matt Davis at January 20, 2006 10:07 AM

Look at this. While you guys hate these columnists, you're playing right into their arguments. Matt Davis says, "Anyway, Theo being back (officially) can't be anything buta positive for the team." And Nat says, "All my Sox fan friends were ecstatic last night."

What does Theo bring to the table that the two guys - his right hand men - who were running the team for the last few months don't have? Just because he was in charge during a World Series team he only partially built does not make him a God among men. His 2005 team, one built more around his own vision instead of a Lucchino/Epstein/Duquette hybrid, was flawed. What the future brings remains to be seen, but Epstein cannot just materialize the parts the Red Sox are missing out of thin air.

While the Theo-bashing is idiotic, the Theo-worship is getting absurd.

Posted by: Benjamin Kabak at January 20, 2006 10:14 AM

As neither a worshipper nor a basher, all I can add is that I hate when the Media tries to make themselves part of the story. ESPN has been doing it for years and as a result I find them unwatchable. It's a problem not just in sports, but in all reporting in this country.

Posted by: JC at January 20, 2006 10:35 AM

If it's possible to take a step back and look at the bottom line in this saga, I think Matt Davis's point is pretty much unassailable. Theo is almost universally regarded as one of the brightest minds in baseball. He's the whole package -- performance analysis, engaging personality that players and fans like, respected by more traditional scouts. Sure, he's made his share of mistakes (Renteria, Suppan, to name just two), but his successes have been both more frequent and more meaningful.

So as a fan of the team I ask myself the simple question: Do I want a bright, well liked, talented guy as part of the baseball operations of the team? The answer is pretty obvious. The process was ugly, but the result is a plus.

And by the way, taking this position is in no way a slight to Hoyer and Cherington. 3 excellent minds are better than 2 -- it's just not that complicated.

Posted by: KDG at January 20, 2006 11:09 AM

Why does anyone give CHB access anymore? Everyone knows that he is only there to play the role of antagonist and stir up the negativity that lays dormant in sports' fans.

Although, the more I read the line, " I told him the same thing I had told him in December. I thought it looked as if he could not make a decision. I thought he should either fire Lucchino or tell Epstein to get lost. Nobody was going to buy the idea of Theo walking back into the same situation he walked away from in October.," the more I frustrated I get with CHB showing his desperation to be part of this team. Why would any Sox brass care what he thinks? He carries no weight as Sox fans could care less about his spin. He's got no leverage.

Posted by: SaphronJenkins at January 20, 2006 11:20 AM

If you have ESPN Insider, Buster Olney offers an interesting commentary on this situation in his blog post today.

Posted by: Benjamin Kabak at January 20, 2006 11:27 AM

To say the 2005 team was flawed is hindsight bias. The 2004 team was "flawed" too, they just happened to win it all. What exactly were the flaws in 2005?

Was it Theo's fault that Clement got hit in the head? That Schilling's ankle still hurt? That Foulke was going through separation/divorce, and had a host of other mental and emotional issues to work out? That Manny decided (again) that he didn't want to be here? Was it Theo's fault that Renteria is probably a bit older than we might have thought?

I don't think you can blame him for this stuff any more than you can give him credit for things like Millar crushing the ball late in '04 because he decided to open up his stance and pull the heck out of the ball.

There's going to be random variance in any team, and to blame a GM for this and conclude the team wasn't built well is faulty attribution, in my opinion. I might agree with one point, though, that the Theo bashing is idiotic.

On a side note, quoting Shaunessy is like standing around the water cooler talking about the dumb thing Jessica Simpson did the day before, or the newest hateful line in an Eminem song. You're just encouraging them to keep doing what they're doing, because the like the attention. Presumably there's some portion of Boston that likes to read Shaunessy, otherwise I feel as though the number of people that just hate him would have gotten him fired a long time ago. I just see no reason to read his articles at all these days.

Posted by: Mike at January 20, 2006 11:32 AM

well,

soap operas keep the redsox in the papers all the time. here in houston, there's been maybe 10 total columns written on the astros. if that.

so even though our sportswriters aren't serious baseball fans, at LEAST they ain't the CHB

Posted by: lisa gray at January 20, 2006 12:23 PM

While the Theo-bashing is idiotic, the Theo-worship is getting absurd.

Benjamin, while I appreciate your outside perspective, I don't think you truly grasp the value that Theo has brought to the Sox. When he took over as GM, the Sox farm system was in shambles. Duquette mortgaged the future of the franchise for one last reach for the golden ring, and failed miserably. Theo turned the farm system from one of the worst in baseball to one of the best through smart drafting, better player evaluation, and shrewd trading (especially the non-trading of key prospects). As a result, the Sox are on the verge of having the most homegrown talent on their major league club as they've had in quite some time. Also, their surplus of prospects allowed them to deal for an ace starter this offseason.

As for Theo's other accomplishments, of course there was that minor bit about assembling a world championship team. But beyond that, Theo did a good job of constructing a 2005 club which could compete for the crown. It was no small task to replace three key components (Pedro, Lowe and Cabrera), resign Varitek, accommodate Roberts' trade request and reconstruct the bullpen, all while having to deal with budget constraints that Brian Cashman has never had to deal with. Yet despite Schilling being mostly ineffective, Foulke having a lost year, Clement losing it after getting hit, Edgah proving worthless at short, Bellhorn and Embree playing their way off the team, Damon playing injured down the stretch, Payton melting down, and Mantei not panning out, they still tied for the best record in the AL East. Far from an indication of failure, the 2005 club was a testiment to Theo's ability to build a team.

Posted by: BosoxBob at January 20, 2006 12:49 PM

Here's my question then: How do you know that this whole plan is Epstein's and not Larry Lucchino's? Lucchino, who is clearly a heavy-handed manager, is older and has more experience than Epstein. When Epstein was annointed GM the first time, it was under the auspicies of the Lucchino administration. Epstein was 28 at the time. Someone is back there pulling the strings and setting policy. That someone may very well be Lucchino.

It seems a bit more reasonable that this masterplan is a Lucchino/Epstein production. While it may pain Red Sox fans to admit it, the laurels from the World Championship and organizational revitalization should be placed on the shoulders of Larry Lucchino as much as on Theo Epstein.

Posted by: Benjamin Kabak at January 20, 2006 01:17 PM

Shaughnessy is such a house organ for Lucchino, it's disgusting.

Posted by: Brett at January 20, 2006 01:43 PM

Benjamin, certainly Theo is not the sole force behind the moves the team has made. Lucchino does, in fact, deserve some of the credit for the team's success. But contrary to Shaughnessy's original hatchet job on Theo that presented Lucchino as a "baseball guy", he's not. He's a businessman - a skilled, ruthless, cunning one at that. But those qualities don't extend to the arena of player evaluation. And I can say this based not only on his time with the Sox, but from years of observing him during his time with the Padres (I live in SD).

You make it sound as if Lucchino had all the ideas, and Theo was hired merely as a soldier to carry out orders. But I can tell you that Theo, pre-GM, was probably largely responsible for Lucchino's knowledge of the game re: player evaluation. Why else would Lucchino have hired Theo as GM? He knew the kid was smart, and figured that he (Lucky) could handle the business end of the GM job until Theo could come up to speed on those aspects. His hiring was a much better alternative than recycling a former GM who would already know how to do the job, but whose game understanding fell far short of Theo's.

Posted by: BosoxBob at January 20, 2006 03:23 PM

Budget constraints? He had far and away the second highest budget in MLB avaliable to him. Yes he's in the Yankees' division, but he has a much higher budget than any other AL team - i.e. other wild card contenders.

Many GMs have won a WS with far lower budgets. Yes he had to plug a lot of holes last year; that happens when you use hired guns, which he did, to win a WS.

And overall, the hype, platitudes and plaudits he's received from the media far outweigh the critique. For ever O'Shaugnessy, there are 5 Gammons'.

Posted by: Sindler at January 21, 2006 10:41 AM
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