Branch Rickey did everything you can in baseball: player, manager, GM with four WS champions (Cardinals), and what he is best known for: bringing Jackie Robinson into major league baseball while breaking the color line. Rickey would win for the last accomplishment alone.
I mean that is Breslow's job so that makes sense (day to day operations)
You speak for most of us, huh? Sweet. I must have missed the memo.
Yeah, the most respected executive in baseball is going to sully his rep to be a stooge for FSG. That's what's likely happening here. Sure. I mean who else would hire the guy, amirite??
Sure. Theo's got nothing better to do then join FSG to appease the masses. Awesome take.
Perhaps this is exactly how it all went down. I hope it is. But it also strikes me as precisely the kind of thing the club would—very smartly—say in an attempt to blunt any perception that Theo was being brought in to compensate for weaknesses in Kennedy’s game.
I'm not feeling as cynical about this move as you are. But I will say that if the Red Sox don't upgrade the rotation between now and Opening Day, this will seem like a hollow gesture to a lot of fans.
One has nothing to do with the other. They don't give out an ownership stake as a gesture of any kind. That's absurdist thinking.
Why did Lebron get a stake then? Plenty of folks have his money. Did they really need his business savvy?
LeBron is an Icon, and any brand would be glad to have him, and he will certainly help with the inevitable foray into the NBA.
I’m being admittedly pedantic, as I think he’s here to help the baseball team, but to this brand Theo is an icon.
Yeah, that's what I thought too. Between that and Kennedy's other recent quote
It seems that someone is pushing back on the "Theo is coming back to save the Sox!" narrative with a little "The Sox don't need saving!".
I have no idea what point you're trying to make with Dolphins ownership, are you implying Theo's all for show? Why would Theo ever agree to that? The guy is likely going to be at the top of the list to be the next commissioner of Baseball, if he wants to deal with that crap. His efforts for MLB in speeding up the game and making it entertaining again are already legend on top of his already hall of fame career. He is long removed from being the local boy wonder.
That’s not what I’m saying and I’m definitely not trying to agitate!
Kennedy initiated discussions with Theo a year ago. I guess it's possible the hiring of Breslow pushed things over the line, but that doesn't seem like it was the main reason for bringing him aboard.
My read is that Kennedy thought that he needed another person with Henry's ear that could help him with the Sox specifically. With Theo wanting to get more involved at an ownership level and being a close friend of Kennedy's, it was a unique opportunity to accomplish that
That's entirely possible but given the relationship between Kennedy and Theo (something Gammo loves to tweet about), I find it highly unlikely that Theo was brought in without Kennedy knowing about it or without Kennedy's explicit blessing
All points that make sense and made it clear that there was mutual interest, but... it seems clear that Kennedy had something in mind as far back as a year ago as @Max Power aptly pointed out. I doubt very much that they opened up an ownership position just to have Theo on-board. I suspect Kennedy had a very clear idea for the role that he needed Theo to fill and how to get Theo on-board. That they're lifelong friends helps to avoid any trust issues. It's a perfect fit.
I'm sure you're right that this move wasn't sprung on him in any way. But I don't think it's a stretch to imagine that ownership--and perhaps Kennedy himself--took a look at his role and wondered whether everyone wouldn't be better served by having him stick to real estate development or negotiating broadcast rights or authorizing merchandising deals and leave anything to do with baseball operations and, especially, public relations to someone else. I do not know that this is the case! It's just something that "feels" to me to likely be the case--and I may well be wrong.
I just snipped out these two parts of your post because I think these are probably the two best paths he has to choose from in the future right? I'd love to know what Theo has mapped out for his career going forward and unlike most of us schlubs that do career development plans at work he's set himself up to really do whatever he feels like doing.
With a strong helping of "everyone is so worried about what I think that they will launch elaborate schemes to fool me!"
I really just don’t see this. Sure, he may get involved here and there, but Theo probably isn’t interested in being a PBO at this point in his journey. He got paid for the status he’s built himself. Saving the Boston Red Sox from mismanagement isn’t really a thing he needs to pad his resume.
Ironically, he is perfectly-positioned to serve the Larry Lucchino role for a new ownership group.
I am a lazy piece of shit compared to Theo Epstein, and there is no fucking way I would be able to be THAT lazy in a paid role. I'm guessing he won't be either.
Is that actually a good job? Commissioners are kind of neutered nowadays. Do they do anything besides negotiate TV deals?
I'd argue that it's more like any prospective new MLB ownership group has five years to convince Theo to join them.
Probably, and this is likely just daydreaming, but: the reason I love the idea of Theo as commissioner is that I think he is probably the only person on the planet with the credibility and fan support that he could maybe break out of that dynamic and do what he thinks is right, at least sometimes.
They make a shit ton of money.
They also have an unbelievable direct impact on the game and there has been like 9 of them in the history of baseball.
If he wanted to be the next commissioner, why wouldn’t he just stay working for the league and eventually move into that role?
Having ownership experience greatly strengthens your resume to be commissioner.
There could certainly be an ego thing involved too. Theo is not without ego, and being commissioner puts you on a very short historic list. I can understand how that would be appealing to someone like him.
Bart Giamatti was the last Commish who did "the game of baseball's" bidding at least as much as the owners' bidding. The owners won't make that mistake again.
It's a nice thought, and maybe Theo is the rare example of someone with the fan support and gravitas to pull it off, but realistically, I just don't see it. Take the current sh*tshow with John Fisher and the A's - would the other 29 owners just stand aside and do nothing if Theo told Fisher that it's in the best interests of the game for him to stop being a dick and to negotiate the best deal he can get with the city of Oakland? There is zero chance IMO, because they would all be afraid that they might be next if the Commissioner is allowed to wield such power again.
Does it? Only one commissioner (of 10 total) has had ownership experience. On the other hand, half of them have had experience with the league offices before their hiring (Frick and Giamatti each served as NL President, Kuhn was a lawyer for the NL, Vincent was deputy commissioner, Manfred was CEO of MLB among other jobs). Seems more obvious that continuing to work in MLB's offices is a more advantageous path to the commissioner's office than being an owner.
Perhaps someone with the experience and gravitas of a Theo Epstein occupying the role could change what the role actually was.
