Good Theo Epstein

By now most people have heard that Theo Epstein has decided to leave the Boston Red Sox. It was not a money thing. It was not a capability thing. It was supposedly a quality of life decision.

Reportedly Theo was upset about an article written by Chinless Dan Shaughnessy that had information leaked by Theo's boss - Larry Lucchino. Theo didn't want to go through the next three years working for someone who no longer (it would seem) commanded his respect.

I have three thoughts on this situation that I would like to share:

1. The saga is not over yet. Theo will still be working with the Red Sox for the next few days to prepare the club for the upcoming baseball meetings. Who knows what can happen in the next few days? Maybe a public apology from Larry Lucchino, a bump in pay and increased power within the organization allows Theo to come back into the fold.

2. When Theo first took over as GM - Theo's dad took him down a peg by reminding him that at his age (28) Alexander the Great had already conquered the known world. By 33, Alexander the Great was dead. Theo has him beat here - by 32 Theo is now dead to Red Sox Nation.

3. It seems to me that this is the reverse of one of the main plotlines of the movie Good Will Hunting. In the movie Will Hunting's friend Chuckie had this to say to young Will:

No. No, no no no. Fuck you, you don't owe it to yourself man, you owe it to me, 'cause tomorrow I'm gonna wake up and I'll be 50, and I'll still be doin' this shit. And that's all right. That's fine. I mean, you're sittin' on a winnin' lottery ticket. You're too much of a pussy to cash it in, and that's bullshit. 'Cause I'd do fuckin' anything to have what you got. So would any of these fuckin' guys. It'd be an insult to watch if you're still here in 20 years. Hangin' around here is a fuckin' waste of your time.

In the movie this quote kicks Will in the ass and makes him use his genius for good. Here we have the opposite. Theo Epstein has a baseball genius but instead of using it - he is supposedly going to do social work like his brother for a year. The equivalent of Will Hunting staying at his construction job.

My honest feeling on this situation is that Theo Epstein was sitting on a winning lottery ticket but was too much of a pussy to cash it in. Dealing with Larry Lucchino was too much to deal with? Moral qualms about staying on the job? Well fuck you Hamlet. You better than anyone should understand what you meant to the folks of New England.

Many people will portray Theo as a moral hero for walking away. I think he's a pussy. I'd do anything to have what he has and he's throwing it away. What's admirable about that?