I haven't been that disappointed after 45 minutes since I listened to Bronson Arroyo's CD. Ok, maybe that was out of bounds. After all, I didn't waste the $15 on that.
I had hope that yesterday's press conference would resemble something Don King would be involved in. Start off with some posturing by both sides, toss in some below-the-belt digs at one another, overturn a few chairs in a minor scuffle, and close it out with a fistfight between each sides entourages. With these two groups, though, it likely would've been more of a slapfight.
Everyone knew that Epstein was going to take the high road yesterday. After all, he's an intelligent, thoughtful man with a bright future ahead of him. He wasn't about to tarnish his own image by outing those above him, whom he actually spoke of quite glowingly. He acknowledged that it was Lucchino who discovered him and gave him the opportunity to learn the ropes at the age of 18. He didn't shy away from the importance that Lucchino played in the the rapid development of Epstein's career.
And regardless of whether or not Lucchino's meddling was at the root of Theo's decision to leave the Red Sox (it probably was), burning that bridge wouldn't have been appropriate. As detestable a figure Lucchino appears to be, the fact is he played a huge role in getting Epstein to where he is today. That cannot be overlooked.
"I would hope that my answers help you get there in some way", was his response to Bob Ryan's question on why he was leaving. The most telling statements that Theo made were involving the "leaks" regarding the negotiations, and that that because those negotiations are contentious, both sides took steps to ensure they remained private. Theo referred to the leak as "unfortunate", which tells me that Epstein was indeed bothered by the details of those negotations becoming public, and it can be surmised that it played a part in his decision to move on.
That's the smoking gun right there, folks. Epstein knew where that information came from, so how could be put his "heart and soul" into a job when he knew he couldn't trust the people above him?
In an age where people will sell their souls for a chance to be famous, if only for an instant, what Epstein chose to do is truly stunning. He's walked away from his "dream job", that would've paid him in excess of $1M per year, because fame and money are not as important to him as his principles.
Red Sox Nation lost a good (not great) GM yesterday. But the loss of a great man is what really is going to hurt the organization down the line.
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