A good sign: Epstein pact appears near

A good sign: Epstein pact appears near
September 17
Boston Globe

"In stealth fashion, the Red Sox have been negotiating with Theo Epstein and are close to a deal that would lock up the star general manager for several years.

Good idea. Theo is having a better summer than the Wasilla, Alaska, Chamber of Commerce. He's hotter than Paul Pierce was in the Finals.

"Negotiations are done - have been done," owner John Henry wrote in an e-mail yesterday afternoon. "But nothing has been signed. We're focused on the season and lawyers are handling the details."

Get his name on the dotted line. Theo's three-year pact is due to expire at the end of this season, and Sox fans don't want this to stretch out in Scott Boras-like fashion. God forbid we witness Gorilla Suit II.

"We are all on the same page with regard to our vision for the organization," Henry wrote. "The negotiations were pleasant and were all about rewarding Theo for the great, great job he has done in bringing two world championships to the Red Sox. We all look forward to the difficult task of trying to win a third."

The Sox are about to clinch a playoff berth for the fifth time in Theo's six seasons at the wheel. And in September of 2008, they are doing it almost exclusively with Theo's guys.

It somehow has become easy to overlook the Sox GM, which is just the way he likes it. Worshipping at the altar of Belichick/Pioli, Theo has pretty much gone underground and arrived at the conclusion that more is less when it comes to disclosure of baseball operations.

Theo has learned that it's impossible to feed the beast - there is an infinite appetite for Sox news nuggets - so he steers clear of the spotlight and spoons out as little information as possible. He has concluded that there's simply no competitive advantage in telling everyone what you are doing and making yourself available to the media 24/7.

So we don't see him on the set of "10.0" or chirping on a paid radio gig. He is not often hanging around the batting cage or sitting in the Fenway dugout, inviting questions and TV face time. We hardly see him at all.

What we see, instead, is a baseball team carved in his image. We see a team stocked with no-nonsense professionals. We see the kind of relentless offensive machine he predicted when he got the job. We see players who work the count and spoil pitches. We see smart base running. We see pitching, speed, and defense. No more Cowboy Uppers. No more Idiots. No more Savant Sluggers who quit on the team.

In most ways, it's easier to be GM of the high-payroll Red Sox than it is to run a tight-fisted ship like the SS Twins. In Boston, high-priced mistakes (Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo) are forgiven and your owner will even pay Manny's salary if it becomes impossible to keep him around."



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