Posts Tagged ‘Theo Epstein’

Photo I took of Gabe Kapler at the 2008 "New Stars" event

Today is a funky, unique day in Boston.  This morning, the Jimmy Fund is hosting their annual “New Stars for Young Stars” event at Jillian’s.  Players who are scheduled to be appearing include Trot Nixon and Curt Schilling (not exactly NEW stars – but I’ll admit I’m absolutely giddy at the idea of meeting Trot Nixon and I enjoy the fact that they always throw in one or two players who AREN’T “new stars”) and for those of us wanting to meet a local, Manny Delcarmen.  (I think it’s in his contract that he has to appear at any local event the Red Sox are involved in.  He’s a wonderful representative for the team and always seems to be doing something for charity during the most of the off-season.)

This year’s list of “New Stars” is a pretty good mix:

# Luis Exposito — Red Sox top catching prospect
# Jeremy Hermida — Red Sox outfielder
# Casey Kelly — 2009 Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the year
# Ryan Kalish — 2009 Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year
# Josh Reddick — Red Sox outfielder
# Ryan Westmoreland — SoxProspects.com #2 ranked prospect

It’s always fun to watch the young ones interact with the public – for most of them it seems to come quite naturally (I credit the team’s Player Development program for a lot of that) and I love that they get this first hand look at how passionate Sox fans are all the way in January.

After the Jimmy Fund event, there is a Sports Roundtable at Fenway Park that has become an annual part of the Hot Stove, Cool Music concert series.  Moderated by Peter Gammons, this year the guests will be Theo Epstein, Terry Francona, Omar Minaya, Carlos Pena, and Bronson Arroyo.  Attending this will accomplish two things for me:  I’ve never been to one of these roundtables and am really looking forward to it (being held in Fenway makes it all the more appealing!) and I’ll get my Bronson fix for the year, even if he isn’t singing.

Tonight, the Hot Stove, Cool Music concert will be taking place at the House of Blues on Lansdowne Street.  This will be the second year that I’ve missed it…which means I’ll miss Bronson Arroyo’s only concert appearance in the area this year.  A bit of a bummer for me but I have friends who will be going and I know they’ll have a great time.

The entire day is pretty much dedicated to the fans having contact with players and folks from the team in a fun and casual setting – and all the money that goes to it goes to charity – so it’s hard to find fault with such great events.  (And yet I do…the high prices for a lot of the events, the seemingly same list of musical acts year after year for the concert…these things I can complain about but I save it for another time!)

This day is the first day in a domino-like list of days that remind me baseball is coming back.  Today gets followed by a visit to Pawtucket for their annual Hot Stove party, followed by Truck Day, followed by Pitchers and Catchers reporting…it’s all going to come at us pretty fast.

A shot I took of Mike Lowell on Opening Day 2009...just to remind me that Opening Day 2010 will be here sooner than it feels!

So what do you want?  As a baseball fan, what are you looking for from your team?

I’ve lost count at how many people have bitched about the Red Sox not “doing” anything thus far, how many people are “unimpressed” with the few signings that have taken place and how many people are convinced that the Red Sox will “suck” in 2010 (and I’m talking about Red Sox fans here).

I’ll tell you what I’m looking for.  I’m looking for Theo to fill gaps that need to be filled and I’m hoping for the team to be competitive enough to entertain me all season long.  Would I love a “blockbuster” signing?  Sure would, if it was for the right player.  But I’m not going to lose sleep over the Yankees getting Curtis Granderson for a song while the Red Sox didn’t.  And I’m getting sick to death of people comparing what the Red Sox aren’t doing to what the Yankees are.  If you want to root for the Yankees, have at it, they’re waiting for more folks to jump on the already overflowing bandwagon (and, truth be told, I wouldn’t be so sad to see the Red Sox bandwagon lose a few annoying, fair weather fans).

Now I don’t consider everyone who criticizes the team a fair weather fan but I do question why you’d be bitching about the team this early in the off-season.  The Sox can’t make a move without another party involved and the moves their contemplating are going to take some time.  I’m good with this.  I’m also good with not hearing every day which player’s rep the team is or isn’t talking to.  Just because it isn’t being reported on doesn’t mean nothing is getting done (or attempted).  I know that most of the media likes to think that the world doesn’t revolve unless they’re writing about it but that’s just not true.  So, if you don’t mind, I’d like the hot stove to get a bit older before I start lamenting about how Theo has lost his touch and won’t be doing anything to improve the team for 2010, thanks.

Yesterday, Amalie Benjamin kept up her fan-baiting ways with this tweet over at Twitter:

Given Theo’s “bridge” year comments about the upcoming season, how are you all feeling about the #RedSox and about the front office?

Now, obviously she was hoping for a ton of “The team is going to suck! We’ll never beat the Yankees again!” responses. But our own KellyO gave (in my opinion) the best response:

I’d FAR rather hold onto our future; if that means waiting out 2010, so be it. We’ve been blessed in recent years.

Now I don’t think two WS wins in the 2000s means the team gets a free pass to go forward and be unsuccessful, but that hasn’t been the situation, thus far, and I don’t see it being the situation any time soon.  ESPECIALLY if Theo doesn’t trade away the future just for some instant gratification.  What those two World Series wins means to me is Theo gets a lot of leeway to play with the house money because, regardless of what some would like to think, the Red Sox are a successful team thanks in large part to Theo and a few early exits from the post-season won’t change that.  Good teams don’t always make the post-season and they don’t always win the World Series.  Be competitive and entertain me and that’s all I can really ask for.  There’s no way I’m calling this off-season a failure in the second week of December.  Hysteria isn’t my style.

For those of you who missed it – here’s Theo’s “bridge” comments as reported by Amalie Benjamin:

“We talked about this a lot at the end of the year, that we’re kind of in a bridge period,’’ he said. “We still think that if we push some of the right buttons, we can be competitive at the very highest levels for the next two years. But we don’t want to compromise too much of the future for that competitiveness during the bridge period, but we all don’t want to sacrifice our competitiveness during the bridge just for the future. So we’re just trying to balance both those issues.’’

I’m not sure how anyone can read anything negative into that but it seems to be Amalie’s M.O. lately (riling the fans up just for fun).

Tickets for the regular season go on sale this Saturday.  I’ll be at the Sistah’s annual Christmas gathering so I won’t be joining you all in the virtual waiting room, but I’ll be there in spirit!  It’ll be interesting to see if this uncertainty in the team that seems to be permeating the Internet over these last couple of weeks will be reflected in ticket sales on Saturday.  Something tells me it won’t.

Some folks would have him burned at the stake. I prefer acknowledging that he's human and obviously feels awful about the whole thing. (Grabbed from NECN video.)

So I spent most of yesterday with a large portion of my family.  We had a funeral mass for my uncle who passed away over a month ago, so while it was sad the sting of it all was off and we got to enjoy each other’s company for the day.  Except when the subject of the Red Sox came up.

My father, by most accounts, is an even-tempered, Irish Catholic, Red Sox fan.  Tough to find if  you believe the stereotypes.  We watch a lot of baseball together but we didn’t watch Sunday’s game because I was at the park and he was at a Christening (yes, I was supposed to be there.  The fates made sure it was held at a place it isn’t good for me to go into so it all turned out okay!)…so I didn’t get to see his reaction when the end came (there was a tv at this restaurant they were at).  We didn’t even really talk about it much yesterday.  But after everything was over and it was just the two of us he admitted to me that there were a few times he cursed Tito during the game on Sunday (Tito usually bears the brunt of any of my dad’s wrath) but that he, really, didn’t feel all that terrible about the Sox losing.  What was bothering him were the “naysayers” and all the negativity.  Must be genetic.    For the record, while everyone can acknowledge Papelbon’s huge part in the loss on Sunday, like me my dad agrees that one lost game by the closer was not what really brought this team down.  The did it together.  Just go back and read the box scores for the first two games of the series.

I took my dad to a game in 2005 where a good portion of the fans booed Mark Bellhorn’s every at bat.  In 2004, Bellhorn was the recipient of my father’s baseball anger – from the comfort of my dad’s couch.  When he is at the park, my father doesn’t believe in booing your own players (hell, he doesn’t even boo opposing players and he’s said things about some of the Yankees that I don’t dare print here!) and when he heard supposed fans giving Bellhorn hell it really upset him (not coincidentally, 2005 was the last year my dad went to Fenway.  He’s getting older and the trip in and all the walking sometimes gives him a little bit of a hard time the next day.  But I KNOW the main reason he doesn’t go through all the trouble of getting to Fenway is the fans.  The negative ones.).

So last night he waves the Boston Herald in front of me and asks if I saw the headline.  I hadn’t.  “‘PapelBOMB’”, he shouted at me, pissed.  “Can you believe, after all he’s done, the local paper calls hims ‘Papelbomb’?”  (It’s really a good thing my father doesn’t hit the Internet for his Red Sox news.)  He also went on to ask me if I heard the fans booing Paps.  Here’s the thing…I didn’t.  Now, usually when I say I didn’t hear booing people come back and tell me I’m either lying or I wasn’t paying attention.  So when it came out that there was booing I told some folks that I must have been so upset that I blocked it out.

Maybe that wasn’t the case?  According to Jon Lester, former Sox manager Joe Morgan and even Kevin Youkilis – a guy who in the past has gone out of his way to berate the fans for booing – all said that the booing wasn’t that bad and was somewhat understandable.  Out of a full house at Fenway maybe a “couple of thousand” people booed our closer.  (Incidentally, if you were one of those 2000, in today’s Herald Steve Buckley defends you.  Steve Buckley is on your side.  If that doesn’t make you want to scrape off your skin in an industrial shower than you have no soul.)

Yesterday, Theo was asked if the Sox were going into a “downward trend” (I’m guessing this question came from Tony Massarotti).  World Series in 2007, ALCS in 2008, ALDS in 2009.  Tell me that whichever reporter asked that question he/she wasn’t trying to bait Theo?  Theo’s response:

“No. The way I look at it, we’ve had sort of two three-year runs in the postseason. We swept the World Series twice. We’ve been eliminated in the ALCS Game 7 twice. And we’ve been swept in the first round twice. We couldn’t have predicted it any time. We were prepared to go on a nice long run.”

This isn’t just wishful thinking. The guy runs the team and knows what needs to be done to make them win.  A ‘downward trend’?  In 2004, the Red Sox won the World Series.  In 2005, they got swept out of the ALDS.  In 2006 they didn’t even make the post-season and then they won it all again in 2007.   Yeah, the team that  spent more time in the last 10 years in the playoffs than not is a team we should be worried about because they “only” made it to the ALDS this year.  Sorry, I’m not biting.

The teams I wanted to win in the LDS?  The Red Sox, of course, the Twins (of course!), the Rockies and the Cardinals.  What do all these teams have in common?

No one damn one of them is moving on to the LCS.  Not one.  THIS is why I don’t make predictions on this blog. 

So now I have to root for the Phillies and the Angels.  Because if we get a Yankees/Dodgers World Series the smugness of the baseball world just might suffocate us all.

It’s raining today.  Gray and lousy out.  Somehow, though, my attitude isn’t reflected in the weather.  I’m still bummed.  I’ll miss watching my team.  But it’s far from over for this franchise, ultimately.  All losing so quickly in the first round has done is given Theo more time to work on next year’s team!

Cheers, Mike!

Usually, when I prepare for a post like this I read every article or blog that covers it so I either have information to use or to ensure I don’t copy whatever someone else has written.

This time, I’m flying solo.  The idea of reading any of the whining I know is coming in regard to Mark Teixeira makes my eye twitch.

I’m not sorry the Sox didn’t get him.  I’m truly not.  But reading people bash the front office because the Yankees decided to throw a ridiculous contract at yet ANOTHER free agent isn’t how I want to spend my evening.

Wait, I lied.  I read Red’s take on it.  My favorite subject line of the day.  And, actually, Denton’s view (also over at Surviving Grady) is one I share:

Wherever he lands, it will be his 4th team in just his 7th big-league season, not to mention the non-signing with the Red Sox back in the 1998 draft. I don’t know how he’s done it, but Teixeira has avoided any and all criticism for doing exactly what guys like A-Rod, Pedro and Clemens have done: pimping themselves out to the highest bidder.

So you have the understanding that I’m not exactly broken up about the Yankees signing Teixeira.  I don’t see this as a failure by Theo/the Front Office.  I don’t think they were outsmarted or outmaneuvered.   Cashman is determined to buy up all the free agents this off-season and that’s what he’s doing.  Why this surprises anyone is beyond me.

I don’t live in a cave, I know Teixeira is good.  But he’s not a good as the contract he got and no one will convince me that he is.  With this acquisition, the Yankees will employ the four highest paid players in Major League Baseball.  They just came off a season where they finished behind the Red Sox and the Rays – so why are people acting like Cashman’s spending spree is an oddity?

I received an email this afternoon from a Yankee fan who used to comment on my blog more regularly (read:  when they weren’t in third place).  He was gloating about Teixeira and became defensive when I wouldn’t take the bait and join him in a flame war.   “Don’t pretend that you aren’t heartbroken that Cashman shoved it up Epstein’s ass” is a direct quote from one of his messages to me.  I didn’t even bother to respond because that idea is just too funny to me.  All Cashman did was show MLB that the idea of building his team around young and homegrown talent is out the window.  The decision has been made that the only way to win it all is to buy it.  Now, I don’t have much of a problem with that, bring the players in who you believe will make your team successful…except for one small issue:  the Yankees have been “buying” for years and all they have to show for it these past 8 seasons is a bunch of AL East Champion banners.  Color me unimpressed.

I’m proud that our front office has created limits for themselves.   They set a number and stuck to it (and held to their resolve to not give out no-trade clauses) and Boras couldn’t force their hand.  The Yankees are definitely a better team for having picked up Teixeira, but the Red Sox aren’t a worse team for not getting him.  That’s good enough for me.

Now let’s work on the catcher situation, eh Theo?

Photo from WBZ.com

I don’t know that I’ve ever read Brian MacPherson from the Union Leader before, but if this article is any indication, I’m not missing much.

Okay, that’s a bit harsh.  MacPherson isn’t a terrible writer, just a stereotypical member of the New England sports media looking for trouble where there most likely isn’t any.  His article today is nothing but a whinefest about how horrible the Red Sox (specifically Theo and Tito) are to their players.   Listen, I can give  you a laundry list of players who I felt got the shaft by the team.  But it’s a personal feeling and in no way takes away from the fact that I understand the team does what it does, ultimately, for the betterment of the organization as a whole and it’s not anything personal.  MacPherson seems to be taking fanboyishness to a new level today:

WHETHER OR NOT the Red Sox sign Mark Teixeira this week — or next week or the week after — Theo Epstein and Terry Francona are going to have some serious work to do.

They’ll have some work to do with Mike Lowell, first of all. He signed a team-friendly contract just a year ago, turning down more years and bigger money elsewhere, but he became trade bait as soon as the Red Sox began courting Teixeira.

It’s not just Lowell, though. They’ll have work to do with Kevin Youkilis — and Josh Beckett, and even Dustin Pedroia.

The Teixeira negotiations have sent a message to everyone who wears a Red Sox uniform: We don’t care who you are. You are expendable.

Is he for real? He thinks these players don’t know that baseball is a business and the teams they play for will do whatever they can to sign players who will help the team win?

He thinks that, after the season he had physically, Mike Lowell didn’t know this would possibly be happening?

And Kevin Youkilis is on record as having said:

If we add a guy like Mark Teixeira to the team, that would be great,” said Youkilis. “You never know – I might be the guy traded (to make room). But I don’t mind it; I get to play baseball for a living.”

MacPherson is right. Youk sounds pissed to me. (Shout out to SG for the heads up on that story.)

MacPherson gives no reason Beckett will need to be “worked” with and he goes on to admit that Pedroia doesn’t have to “worry”.   Hell, though, he even throws Jason Bay into the mix.   He needs to be concerned that the Red Sox have no loyalty to their players.  He brings up Bronson Arroyo.  You remember Bronson.  He was traded in 2006.  Red Sox stuck a knife in his heart when they traded him (and got suck in return).  It was shitty and  many people thought so.  Funny, though, how it hasn’t stopped players from signing with the Sox.  Funny how it hasn’t affected the success of the team.

Here’s how MacPherson ends his piece:

Baseball is a business, sure. But when your product is your people, you have to treat them a certain way.

I, actually, don’t entirely disagree with this.  But here’s the thing for me, loyalty goes both ways.  The Red Sox treated Manny like a God and he gave them the finger.  They made really good offers to Pedro Martinez and Johnny Damon and were told “we’re going where the money is”.  There is practically NO loyalty in baseball (Bronson Arroyo aside) but to blame it solely on the owners (and, in this case, the entire Red Sox front office) makes no sense to me.

I often say that if I were GM, John Valentin would have been the shortstop until he shattered into a million pieces.  This is one of the many reasons I’m not a general manager of a baseball team.  I’ll tell you what, I don’t want to see Mike Lowell go anywhere.  He’s been great for this team, he seems like a genuinely good guy, and in a time when he could have taken advantage of the free agent market, he, essentially, took a discount to stay in Boston.  I think it would stink on ice if he got booted just because someone younger and shinier came to town.  But as much as I would hate it, I understand it.  And so do the players – I’m guessing more than I.

Baseball is a business.  It’s lousy, but true.  And it’s probably the first thing these guys learn about baseball once they hit the bigs.  This isn’t news to anyone.

Theo working hard, as usual - Photo by Jim Davis

I started writing this piece last  night about money and how the entire country has money problems except Major League Baseball.  Then I put it aside for two reasons 1) it was depressing.  The amount of  my debt is minimal compared to most, but it’s still my debt and I’d like to get out of it.   But that isn’t happening right now so I have trouble garnering excitement about a player signing a deal that will get him $160 MILLION dollars.

Normally, I don’t get into money discussions about baseball.  I know the baseball world and our world are two vastly different places so I try not to write things like “For THAT amount of money, he should be able to throw a strike whenever he wants!” – but this year, seeing so many struggling, reading about the absolutely ridiculous contract the Yankees gave CC Sabathia just makes me groan.

So I won’t write about that.  (Oh yeah, I said 2 reasons, huh?  The other reason?  Once Manny Ramirez, Derek Lowe, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira are done, there’s going to be a lot more to write about in regard to money.)

Then I was going to write about Curt Schilling and our brief back and forths online lately.  But I usually don’t talk about politics here (which is, essentially, what we were discussing) and the last thing I want to do is alienate anyone.  I will say this – WEEI is missing out on a much more interesting coupling than Dennis and Callahan in Schilling and Donnelly.  I don’t believe there are two more different people in the world than Mr. Schilling and myself.  If we were on the air together it would probably only take about five minutes before we were beating the crap out of one another.  Ratings gold!

So what am I going to write about?

Eric Byrnes for Julio Lugo?  Is Byrnes going to be happy being a fourth outfielder?  Will we end up with another Jay Payton?  If Varitek is still on the team will he taunt Byrnes mercilessly about not touching home?

I find Byrnes to be…how shall I put this…I think my friend Cindy said it best when she wrote “Eric Byrnes is a douche”.   It is tough for me to erase the Eric Byrnes of 2003 out of my mind.  Who knows, though, maybe  he’d be a good addition to the team?  It seems I end up having one player, each season, who I can’t stand.  It isn’t fair to deny Byrnes that opportunity, right?

This weekend I’m in the odd position of mourning a loss in our family and then heading up north to spend my annual December weekend with my sistahs.  My emotions for the weekend will be high, to say the least.  Let’s hope baseball doesn’t add to that with some insane trade involving Buchholz, Masterson or Bowden.

Some news about Kyle’s status for 2009 would be most welcome, though.  Someone out there has to know SOMETHING, right?

I guess it wasn’t as difficult for me to come up with something to write about as I thought.