Theo Epstein; Greatest Baseball Executive Ever

[jacksonianmarch]

Not fluky you say?

 

Jarrod Saltalamacchia posted the best OPS of his career that season.

Stephen Drew would post one of his best seasons after 2 awful years and basically disappeared off the face of the earth after that

Daniel Nava hit .300 with a .831OPS. Daniel frieking Nava.

Mike Carp had an .885OPS in 200+PA's.

Jose Iglesias hit .330 as a sox that year before being dealt and is now a no hit all glove SS for DET

Johnny Gomes had a great season only to fade into obscurity after the season

Shane Victorino posted an .800+OPS in 2013 only to fall off the face of the earth afterwards

Felix Doubront won 11 games for you

Clay Buchholz had a half season for the ages

Koji went from oft injured middle reliever to the best relief season of all time

Craig Breslow had a sub 2ERA.

 

Don't ever mention 2013 as anything but a fluke.

[Slasher9]

[mvp 78]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]448[/ATTACH]

 

Whatever helps him sleep at night, I guess?

[Slasher9]

something tells me jackson was one of those MFY fans that was spewing the "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every 86 years" mantra after the 2004 season....

[Bellhorn04]

something tells me jackson was one of those MFY fans that was spewing the "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every 86 years" mantra after the 2004 season....

 

Jesus I hate that blind squirrel expression.

[mvp 78]

Jesus I hate that blind squirrel expression.

 

Really. Everyone knows that the blind squirrel would have all of its other senses heightened.

[moonslav59]

Jesus I hate that blind squirrel expression.

 

How about the broken clock being right twice a day?

[Spudboy]

Really. Everyone knows that the blind squirrel would have all of its other senses heightened.

 

I blind squirrel would die. Especially if it was blind at birth.

[Bellhorn04]

How about the broken clock being right twice a day?

 

Hate that one too. But the blind squirrel is worse.

[mvp 78]

I blind squirrel would die. Especially if it was blind at birth.

 

All squirrels are blind at birth.

[Spudboy]

All squirrels are blind at birth.

 

You know what I mean.

 

Wise ass.

 

I'm surprised you did not tell me that all squirrels die.

[Kimmi]

Not fluky you say?

 

Jarrod Saltalamacchia posted the best OPS of his career that season.

Stephen Drew would post one of his best seasons after 2 awful years and basically disappeared off the face of the earth after that

Daniel Nava hit .300 with a .831OPS. Daniel frieking Nava.

Mike Carp had an .885OPS in 200+PA's.

Jose Iglesias hit .330 as a sox that year before being dealt and is now a no hit all glove SS for DET

Johnny Gomes had a great season only to fade into obscurity after the season

Shane Victorino posted an .800+OPS in 2013 only to fall off the face of the earth afterwards

Felix Doubront won 11 games for you

Clay Buchholz had a half season for the ages

Koji went from oft injured middle reliever to the best relief season of all time

Craig Breslow had a sub 2ERA.

 

Don't ever mention 2013 as anything but a fluke.

 

Not fluky, not fluky, not fluky.

 

Of course the team had a lot of things go their way. There were also things that didn't go their way. The good breaks outweighed the bad, which is pretty much true for any team that wins it all.

 

Hardly fluky though.

[Northern Star]

Yes, there have been guys who have created insane dynasties like the Berra led Yankees. But when there is one executive responsible for building 2 different clubs which shattered a total of 194 years of "curses", you get a special wing in Cooperstown. And the guy still looks like he gets carded. I wonder if he moves on to Cleveland in a few years and wins them a title. He could just keep moving to the next most suffering franchise and close curses like real estate agents close houses. The guy is a special talent for finding talent. And the funny thing is, my very first thread on a message board was over at the Herald with the title "The Red Sox Cannot Win With Theo", which came immediately after the Nomar trade

 

Nope, not buying it. I think he's very good but the fact that two franchises ended long droughts under his watch doesn't necessarily make him the "greatest exec ever" in the history of the game.

[jacksonianmarch]

something tells me jackson was one of those MFY fans that was spewing the "even a blind squirrel finds a nut every 86 years" mantra after the 2004 season....

 

I was in my early 20s. Of course

[moonslav59]

Two words:

 

Branch Rickey

 

https://pursuitofpennants.wordpress.com/2015/02/13/1-branch-rickey/

 

[moonslav59]

How about Pat Gillick?

 

https://pursuitofpennants.wordpress.com/2015/02/12/2-pat-gillick/

 

[Bellhorn04]

Nope, not buying it. I think he's very good but the fact that two franchises ended long droughts under his watch doesn't necessarily make him the "greatest exec ever" in the history of the game.

 

2 words:

 

1. Why

2. Not?

[Kimmi]

Nope, not buying it. I think he's very good but the fact that two franchises ended long droughts under his watch doesn't necessarily make him the "greatest exec ever" in the history of the game.

 

 

Blasphemy!

[Slasher9]

it's not even debatable. he ended 194 combined years of pain. if you think otherwise i am sorry but you are wrong. or a MFY fan.

[Kimmi]

it's not even debatable. he ended 194 combined years of pain. if you think otherwise i am sorry but you are wrong. or a MFY fan.

 

Yup.

[Spudboy]

Yup.

 

But I wonder about all those old time GMs and the accumulation of their achievements. I don't know who they may be or what they did. But it seems we always glamorize what we most recently saw.

[Bellhorn04]

But I wonder about all those old time GMs and the accumulation of their achievements. I don't know who they may be or what they did. But it seems we always glamorize what we most recently saw.

 

You're right, the recency effect can be powerful. But breaking 2 droughts totaling almost 2 centuries is an achievement for which you can't find anything remotely comparable.

[moonslav59]

You're right, the recency effect can be powerful. But breaking 2 droughts totaling almost 2 centuries is an achievement for which you can't find anything remotely comparable.

 

True, but should that be the sole qualification for calling someone the best ever?

[Spudboy]

True, but should that be the sole qualification for calling someone the best ever?

 

No. Building a team that sustains success would have to come along with it.

 

That is my opinion.

[moonslav59]

No. Building a team that sustains success would have to come along with it.

 

That is my opinion.

 

I guess my statement did imply that was all he did. You are right; he did much more, but so did Branch Rickey and Pat Gillick and others.

 

I'm not arguing against Theo, but there are some GMs from history who have won more and for longer.

[Kimmi]

But I wonder about all those old time GMs and the accumulation of their achievements. I don't know who they may be or what they did. But it seems we always glamorize what we most recently saw.

 

Fair enough point. I don't know all of the GMs and what their accomplishments were, but I can't think of one who tops Theo's accomplishments.

[moonslav59]

Fair enough point. I don't know all of the GMs and what their accomplishments were, but I can't think of one who tops Theo's accomplishments.

 

Read this...

 

Branch Rickey

https://pursuitofpennants.wordpress....branch-rickey/

 

or this...

 

Pat Gillick

https://pursuitofpennants.wordpress....2-pat-gillick/

 

I'm not saying these guys are clearly better than Theo, but both were very impressive.

 

 

[Bellhorn04]

True, but should that be the sole qualification for calling someone the best ever?

 

It's good enough for me. I'm an analytical person, but some things don't need to be analyzed that much.

[moonslav59]

It's good enough for me. I'm an analytical person, but some things don't need to be analyzed that much.

 

I guess, if you're and expert on baseball history, then no.

 

I didn't know much about Rickey, but after reading the article, I can see why someone might think he is the best.

 

I remember Gillick as being great too.

 

I'm just saying that the fa ct that the Cubs and Sox had such long stretches of never winning a ring, does not mean Theo started from zero. Clearly, the rebuilding of the Cubs was a very remarkable thing, but the Sox had a strong core when he got here, and many of the early moves were attributed to Larry L (Schilling and Beckett/Lowell).

 

I'm not trying to rain on Theo's parade. The guy is a genius, but I also respect history, and there have been GMs that revolutionized the game and GM position plus won more rings. Does that make them better than Theo? I don't know, but I do question the importance given to reversing long curses.

[Bellhorn04]

Does that make them better than Theo? I don't know, but I do question the importance given to reversing long curses.

 

Not me.