Six Reasons I Don’t Blame Theo Epstein
1. It’s Chicago. Come on. Next to my home city of Boston, Chicago is my favorite. To me, it oozes modern style, success, culture, and chic. I love Boston for its history, old-school charm and attitude, but there is just something so fresh and exciting about the Windy City. Probably because I didn’t grow up there, but still. Theo should fit right in in one of those fancy condos on the river.
2. They put tomatoes, peppers and onions on their hot dogs. Self-explanatory. Fenway Frank, you’re good, but you’re no Chicago Dog.
3. He has a chance to cement his legacy. After winning two World Series as GM of the Red Sox, Theo (we’re on a first-name basis, in case you didn’t know) can basically drop the hammer as one of the greatest GMs ever if he can bring a title to the Cubs. He gets another rabid fan base to sing his praises, and–the best part–he probably gets free drinks for life.
4. It was time to move on. It seemed to me he just wasn’t as passionate about his job as he used to be. The fire burned brightest after the titles in 2004 and 2007. Last winter, after making two monster moves, his attitude seemed to be more “Look at us! Look at how good we’re going to be! Look! Look! LOOK!”. The moves themselves didn’t really pan out in 2011-Adrian Gonzalez was an All-Star, but Carl Crawford never looked comfortable, and is probably grounding out to 2nd base as I write this. A struggling team in a big market is a unique challenge to take on, and he can leave behind some of his mistakes. It’s probably not fair to the owners and fans, but it’s the best for him.
5. His employees sucked when it mattered. I won’t rehash the Red Sox September collapse. It happened. Then some anonymous sources talked about why it happened. Theo and the organization deserved better.
6. Sometimes a change of scenery is the best option. Having grown up in the Boston area, Theo’s job was a childhood dream realized at the tender age of 28. But things are different now…he’s a married father, and the foundation he started with is lightyears away from the team’s current makeup.
What Epstein needed was something Boston could no longer provide: the challenge of the build, not to mention a life that afforded more sanity and room to breathe.
I am thankful for Theo, and what he brought to the Red Sox: an intelligent, reasoned (for the most part) approach to building a successful baseball team, and two World Series titles. I hope Chicago wins under his leadership, because every fan deserves to feel what it feels like for your team to be the best. I have a feeling they will.
