There was just one chair. Not a good sign.
But then, as Theo Epstein appeared stage left with his baseball operations minions, John Henry and Tom Werner emerged stage right. (Larry Lucchino, the man who'd introduced his protege to the world in 2002, was nowhere to be seen. No one seemed too surprised.)
But why were the owners there? Had there been a change of heart at the eleventh hour? Could we be in for a
Ken Macha moment? Was all forgiven? Would there be joy in
Mudville after all?
No.
Theo read the
statement he issued Monday night.
Growing up in the shadow of Fenway Park, I never dreamed of having the chance to work for my hometown team during such an historic period.My decision not to return as General Manager of the Red Sox is an extremely difficult one. I will always cherish the relationships I developed here and am proud to have worked side-by-side with so many great people, in and out of uniform, as together we brought a World Championship to Boston.In my time as General Manager, I gave my entire heart and soul to the organization. During the process leading up to today's decision, I came to the conclusion that I can no longer do so. In the end, my choice is the right one not only for me but for the Red Sox.Still, we hoped. Maybe this was all just dramatic prelude?
"That was then!" he'd scream as he tore his speech to shreds. "Lucchino's not here because he's out committing hara-kiri on the right field roof! Theo's back! And he's back big!!!"
But reality intervened. He finished his speech.
"I stand by every word."
And that was that.
He took questions. Read into his answers what you will. I know you will.
He maintained that Dan Shaughnessy's
column on Sunday "is what it is ... a column ... by a columnist ... the opinion of one person."
He said there was never any contract agreement in principle. Theo knew things would go down to the wire, and he told ownership he would give them an answer on Monday at 1 p.m., which he did.
"Reports of power struggles, or meddling by Larry weren't really the case," he said.
He said reading the vilification of Lucchino in the papers has been painful for him at times. He said that he "wants what's best for Larry."
He said his decision was a hard one, but to be general manager of the Boston Red Sox, "You have to be all in. With your whole heart." He couldn't do that anymore.
But he denied that he's burned out. He still has a passion for baseball. And he foresees himself in some leadership capacity, with some team, sometime in the future.
He said
another team had approached him, through an intermediary, about a position there. He informed them that he was busy helping the Red Sox make this transition. He told the intermediary that next week, after he's seen his former coworkers off to the general managers meeting in Palm Springs, might be a more appropriate time to talk.
He said that wearing a
gorilla costume was "a lot of fun," and that he will wear one again.
He said it would be inaccurate to say he's had no second thoughts, that to do so would imply his was an easy decision. It wasn't. But was the "right decision"
Someone asked, for the umpteenth time, why he was leaving.
It wasn't Larry Lucchino. He wasn't burned out. It wasn't a money thing. Why?
"I would hope my answers help you get there," Theo said.
Then Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry, the man Tony Massarotti called for to be a "
calming force" in this frenzied mess, the man Jackie MacMullan said "
must be answerable," took the stage.
He was calm, all right. His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. And he looked ashen.
And he answered.
This is a "great, great loss," he said. And he was "wholly responsible."
Henry too was upset about what he was reading about Lucchino in the papers. And the words he chose to implicate himself and exculpate his CEO were crushingly sad.
He seemed stunned. He confessed his naivete.
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think this could happen," he said.
He said had this "romantic notion" that the brilliant kid from Brookline would be with the Red Sox "for the rest of my life."
But he was wrong. He knew that now.
"Maybe I'm not fit to be principle owner," he wondered.
The fact that Theo was really leaving seemed only now to be dawning on him. Henry confessed that the team hadn't yet started the process of finding a new general manager.
Until that point they had be "so immersed in trying to get Theo to stay." They'd failed.
But, Henry said, "We're going to be fine."
I wish I could believe him.