For Adults Only
The season came to a depressing close for the local high school football team last weekend, as they lost to its traditional Thanksgiving Day rival.
It was a strange year. Midway through the season, the team's coach tried to kick off the squad an alledged malcontent who apparently used some poorly selected words on the sidelines during a game. The school administration intervened and thought a more appropriate punishment would be a one game suspension. Peeved at this slight and with no one on either side willing to compromise, all the coaches resigned, leaving the high school principal, some parents, and finally a few "professionals" to guide the squad through its final four games, all losses.
The kids worked hard to put their team in a reasonable position to finish with a winning record and possibily reach the playoffs. Instead they got what might be perhaps a more important lesson.
Sometimes even the adults need adult supervision.
I pondered this same thought as I considered the status of former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein this Thanksgiving. Two years ago, he was sharing turkey with Curt Schilling and his family, and setting the stage for one of the biggest trades in the team's history. This year, as the now unemployed Theo contempted what he might be thankful for this past year, the folks he left behind were putting the finishing touches on their own blockbuster deal, netting Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota as Florida begins a holiday sale of its high priced talent.
By all accounts, Theo happens to be a smart, likable fellow who had both the acumen and good fortune to preside over one of the greatest three year runs in club history (the past three years have been great, but they still fall short of the magical 1915 to 1917 period, in which the Red Sox won two world championships in the first two seasons and finished second to the world champion White Sox in the third year).
In retrospective, it appears that Theo had his dream job, but not his dream manager. In the November 28th issue of Fortune Magazine (one of a number of business publications that have seized upon this story) team owner John Henry admits that a "trust" issue existed between Theo and his boss/mentor Larry Lucchino, who originally hired Theo as an intern at the Baltimore Orioles and groomed him over the years to be in a position to assume the lofty post of general manager at the tender age of 28.
Fortune likes to spread the blame around. Maybe Theo chafed under Larry's "hand-on" approach. Maybe John should have intervened when he noticed that Theo and Larry's negotiations were not going well. Maybe Theo should have shown a little more maturity, and recognized that some of his "success" involved a fair amount of luck (His manager's first choice for DH in 1993 was Jeremy Giambi, whose overall ineffectiveness opened up an opportunity for David Ortiz).
But most of all, maybe Theo should have realized that even dream jobs contain imperfect moments. I'm fortunate. I have had many dream jobs in my career, in which the good stuff outweighed the bad stuff. I learned over time to appreciate the bad stuff; it helps keep your perspective on what's really important--like finding time for family and friends.
Despite all the hand wringing within the hyped-up Boston sports media about Theo's departure (ever wonder how many of these writers or commentators might pass baseball's new drug testing for amphetamines?), the recent Beckett trade confirms what Larry himself told the press a few weeks ago. The Red Sox are bigger than any one person, and while Theo will be missed, the kids left in charge can rely on some seasoned veterans , such as Bill Lajoie and Jeremy Kapstein, for advice and counsel. For whatever faults he might have, Larry does appreciate the value of adult supervision.
Theo walked away from millions of dollars to pursue his quixotic request for the perfect situation. We all wish him luck. If he finds the magic formula, I'm sure all of us in the real world will be eager to apply it to our own lives as well.
It was a strange year. Midway through the season, the team's coach tried to kick off the squad an alledged malcontent who apparently used some poorly selected words on the sidelines during a game. The school administration intervened and thought a more appropriate punishment would be a one game suspension. Peeved at this slight and with no one on either side willing to compromise, all the coaches resigned, leaving the high school principal, some parents, and finally a few "professionals" to guide the squad through its final four games, all losses.
The kids worked hard to put their team in a reasonable position to finish with a winning record and possibily reach the playoffs. Instead they got what might be perhaps a more important lesson.
Sometimes even the adults need adult supervision.
I pondered this same thought as I considered the status of former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein this Thanksgiving. Two years ago, he was sharing turkey with Curt Schilling and his family, and setting the stage for one of the biggest trades in the team's history. This year, as the now unemployed Theo contempted what he might be thankful for this past year, the folks he left behind were putting the finishing touches on their own blockbuster deal, netting Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell, and Guillermo Mota as Florida begins a holiday sale of its high priced talent.
By all accounts, Theo happens to be a smart, likable fellow who had both the acumen and good fortune to preside over one of the greatest three year runs in club history (the past three years have been great, but they still fall short of the magical 1915 to 1917 period, in which the Red Sox won two world championships in the first two seasons and finished second to the world champion White Sox in the third year).
In retrospective, it appears that Theo had his dream job, but not his dream manager. In the November 28th issue of Fortune Magazine (one of a number of business publications that have seized upon this story) team owner John Henry admits that a "trust" issue existed between Theo and his boss/mentor Larry Lucchino, who originally hired Theo as an intern at the Baltimore Orioles and groomed him over the years to be in a position to assume the lofty post of general manager at the tender age of 28.
Fortune likes to spread the blame around. Maybe Theo chafed under Larry's "hand-on" approach. Maybe John should have intervened when he noticed that Theo and Larry's negotiations were not going well. Maybe Theo should have shown a little more maturity, and recognized that some of his "success" involved a fair amount of luck (His manager's first choice for DH in 1993 was Jeremy Giambi, whose overall ineffectiveness opened up an opportunity for David Ortiz).
But most of all, maybe Theo should have realized that even dream jobs contain imperfect moments. I'm fortunate. I have had many dream jobs in my career, in which the good stuff outweighed the bad stuff. I learned over time to appreciate the bad stuff; it helps keep your perspective on what's really important--like finding time for family and friends.
Despite all the hand wringing within the hyped-up Boston sports media about Theo's departure (ever wonder how many of these writers or commentators might pass baseball's new drug testing for amphetamines?), the recent Beckett trade confirms what Larry himself told the press a few weeks ago. The Red Sox are bigger than any one person, and while Theo will be missed, the kids left in charge can rely on some seasoned veterans , such as Bill Lajoie and Jeremy Kapstein, for advice and counsel. For whatever faults he might have, Larry does appreciate the value of adult supervision.
Theo walked away from millions of dollars to pursue his quixotic request for the perfect situation. We all wish him luck. If he finds the magic formula, I'm sure all of us in the real world will be eager to apply it to our own lives as well.
posted by msockol at 9:30 AM
1 Comments:
I won't miss deals like choosing Renteria over Cabrera, or signing stiffs like Clement, or going into a season having Millar and Belhorn as your first and second base men. All these Sox fans want to canonize Theo for makign an obvious move - trading an injured and malcontented Nomar. Pleeeeze. In my opinion, Theo is a perfect example of our self-esteem exercise that went on in the 80s and 90s - tell a kid so many times that the world revolves around them that they can't take any critism or react rationally when confronted with a tough boss.
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