Now that Theo Epstein has broken curses in both Boston and Chicago, is he the
greatest MLB executive of all time? What can he do as an encore? Could he be a
hit beyond sports?This Election Day, our panel -- featuring ESPN Insider Buster
Olney, ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian, SweetSpot Blog Network/ESPN.
Carlton Davis Womens Jersey .coms David
Schoenfield, ESPN.com Chicago Cubs beat writer Jesse Rogers and
FiveThirtyEight.coms Neil Paine -- takes a swing at Theos third act.From the
Goat to the G.O.A.T.: Is Theo Epstein the greatest baseball executive of all
time? If not, why not, and who is? Where does Theo rank?Olney: Branch Rickey has
a legacy distinct from any other executive in any sport, as he was the leader
who had the courage and integrity to sign and promote Jackie Robinson. But if
the criterion is success on the field, nobody can match Theo Epsteins track
record. Thats because he has been able to climb both baseballs K2 -- Bostons
86-year championship drought -- and its Mount Everest, the Cubs 108 years
without a title. That success will be the standard against which all elite
executives will be judged, and while history remembers that Sir Edmund Hillary
and Tenzing Norgay were the first to climb Everest, almost nobody can recall the
names of the next to follow. Some of those among Theos peers who arent
necessarily fond of him regarded him as the sports best executive before the
Cubs World Series title.Kurkjian: It is difficult to put any executive ahead of
Rickey, who, along with integrating the sport, was the father of the farm system
in baseball. Hall of Famer Pat Gillick and perhaps soon-to-be Hall of Famer John
Schuerholz are executives of the highest order, but Epstein is in another
category after his wins with the Red Sox and the Cubs. Those successes will make
him the most famous executive and most decorated after Rickey. Epstein is the
best executive in the game today, and his intelligence, vision and determination
likely will keep him as the best for a long time. We sometimes forget that he is
only 42 years old.Schoenfield: Theres no doubt Theo is climbing the ranks of the
best ever. Heck, the fact that he needs only his first name referenced says a
lot. Still, lets keep in mind that he has run two deep-pocketed franchises, a
huge advantage. Yes, he ended The Curse in Boston, but he also took over a team
that had just won 93 games and included Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, Jason
Varitek, Nomar Garciaparra, Johnny Damon and others. He added the finishing
touches with David Ortiz in 2003 and?Curt Schilling in 2004. The Cubs, even with
a core of young, inexpensive stars, had the fifth-highest payroll in 2016. Not
every franchise can go out and sign Jon Lester, Jason Heyward, John Lackey and
Ben Zobrist as free agents.Rickey is the best ever. Gillick has matched Theos
three World Series wins while also guiding the Orioles to the playoffs and
building the 116-win Mariners of 2001. Ed Barrow and George Weiss built
dynasties with the Yankees. Bob Howsam built a World Series champion in St.
Louis and the Big Red Machine in Cincinnati, while Schuerholz won World Series
with Kansas City and Atlanta. Theo is right in that group.Rogers: One factor I
use in rating managers over the course of their careers is their ability to win
for more than one franchise. The more they do, the fewer people can claim they
were simply in a good situation. The same can be said of executives. Not only is
winning titles in two cities rare, but the fact that Epstein won in Boston and
Chicago, after both franchises experienced historic droughts, only adds to his
legacy.Paine: He certainly is by far the most accomplished of the modern wave of
young, sabermetrically savvy GMs who entered baseball in the post-Moneyball era.
Its a little difficult to compare him to earlier GMs such as Rickey, if not
simply because Rickey transformed the entire role of the GM. Theo has also stood
on the shoulders of more modern GMs such as Sandy Alderson and Billy Beane, who
helped introduce the sabermetric team-building approach Epstein has used to
great effect. Even so, Theo should definitely be in the conversation with those
guys. Hes already probably the analytics eras answer to Gillick, in terms of
building great teams in multiple locations.Theos third act: What would you like
to see Theo do next in baseball? How does he top breaking both the Red Soxs and
Cubs curses?Olney: The Yankees of 1996 to 2001 were baseballs last dynasty --
and the only dynasty since the advent of free agency after 1976. Theos next
challenge will be to continue building something that will last, around an
extraordinary group of young position players:?Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo,
Addison Russell, Javier Baez and Willson Contreras. There will be significant
obstacles along the way, particularly in the challenge of building the next wave
of pitching, because Jake Arrieta and John Lackey are free agents after next
season, and Jon Lester is on the downward slope of his career. Rival officials
say the Cubs dont have a lot of pitching in their farm system, and Theo and his
staff will have to figure out a way to fill that gap while the club is losing
financial flexibility -- because some of the position players will become more
expensive. Also, look, even the best executives make mistakes, with Heywards
deal seemingly destined for that definition.Kurkjian: Building a dynasty is
harder to do now than ever, but thanks mostly to Epstein, the Cubs are at least
positioned to become one. The 2016 Cubs started six players age 24 or younger in
a World Series game and were the first team in history to do that. Their farm
system remains a little short on pitching, but now the Cubs have so much money
with which to deal and so many prospects that if there is a need, they can fill
it as easily as any team. Owner Tom Ricketts trusts Epstein with his money -- as
he should. That great parade wont be the last over the next 10
years.Schoenfield: Repeating what the Yankees did from 1996 to 2000, winning
four titles in five years, will be almost impossible due to the precarious
nature of the postseason, but how about matching the Yankees run of 13 straight
playoff trips (including four 100-win seasons)? Or Schuerholzs leading the
Braves to 14 first-place finishes in 15 years (including six 100-win
seasons)?Rogers: Id like to see Epstein take one more moribund franchise, say
the San Diego Padres (where he worked while an MLB up-and-comer) or?Miami
Marlins, and turn it into a winner. He has nothing left to prove, but it would
be interesting. Perhaps a West Coast team without deep pockets; that would
complete a trifecta from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Could he repeat his
success in a smaller market? Id like to see an attempt.Paine: It wasnt like
there werent built-in advantages to assembling champions in Boston and Chicago,
even if Theos predecessors hadnt always made full use of them. Next, Id like to
see him win in one of baseballs oddest locations: Coors Field in Colorado. The
Rockies are a relatively small market -- 19th in the U.S., with MLBs
22nd-biggest payroll -- and they always have trouble assembling a good pitching
staff. Weirder still, theyve never once had an above-average offense (in terms
of wOBA) after adjusting for park effects. If Theo goes there, it would be a
true test of his ability to adapt to strange circumstances and win.Beyond
baseball: Where might Theo thrive outside sports? What skills could he bring to
the business world ... the world of academia ... politics ... even -- gasp! --
the White House?Olney: Theo has a passion for politics and public service, and
its no secret that he leans left, having grown up in a state with a deep history
of Democrats. But Im not sure he would have the patience or the stomach for the
kind of public life that is required of politicians these days, and I cant see
him running for office in the legislative branch, where he would be required to
schmooze in the grand tradition of Tip ONeill. If Theo ever went into politics,
Id see him as more of an executive-branch type -- a governor, rather than a
congressman -- so that he would have the power to do as hes done in baseball:
surround himself with really smart and talented people and attack problems. What
is often missed by reporters constructing stories about Theo is how competitive
he is: He has an instinctive ambition that draws him to challenges, and
underneath the polite niceties, I think he absolutely believes he can beat
anybody and will find a way to beat anybody. This is part of what separates
him.Kurkjian: Cubs manager Joe Maddon described Epstein as a real person, a real
guy. He has great empathy. A former player, now working for the Cubs, said: I
had no idea that a front office cares so much about the lives and the careers of
the players and puts in so much time to making them better. And that all starts
with Theo. Like Maddon, Epstein loves baseball, but he is so well-rounded. He
has a love for music and for helping people. Going into public service after
baseball seems logical, as would doing something in the music industry. Going
into politics does not. Epstein values his privacy and has no tolerance for what
it takes to be a politician. That said, he is going to do something else
important after baseball. His upbringing -- from an extended family of
educators, intellectuals, artists and writers -- tells us that.Schoenfield: Very
few have gone from baseball and been successful in politics at the national
level, with Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Bunning, a member of the U.S. House of
Representatives and then a two-term senator from Kentucky, the notable
exception. The thing about running a baseball team is youre responsible to only
your owner. Politics is a whole different headache. Why would you want to deal
with that when your office is Wrigley Field?Rogers: Beyond baseball -- but not
sports -- Id like to see Epstein try his hand at football, basketball or even
hockey. Can he apply his analytical mind, combined with an understanding that
perhaps all athletes are alike, to succeed in a sport he isnt familiar with?
That would truly be starting from scratch. Politics might be a difficult world
for Epstein, as he has been known to speak his mind. If political correctness is
on its way out, though, he might have a better chance.Paine: Given the way our
countrys politics have become so polarized and toxic, asking Theo to work his
miracles in politics seems like an obvious answer. But given his track record, a
more realistic future for him might be in business, advising investors who are
looking for underachieving companies to turn around and make profitable again.
Theo has already shown a great capacity for diagnosing the problems that ail an
organization and putting the right people in charge -- not just at the top but
all the way down to the lower levels of the minor leagues. It isnt hard to
imagine those skills translating to a corporate setting, should Theo ever want
to leave the sports industry. (And if he just wants to switch sports: Please,
Theo, come to New York, and fix the Knicks!)
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third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and
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hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three
decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. Canberra and
England hooker Josh Hodgson has jumped to the defence of Sam Burgess following
his all-action but ultimately unsuccessful return to international rugby league
against New Zealand.Burgess, in his first game as skipper of his country, was
outstanding in the first half but less of a factor in the second as the
impressive Martin Taupau and Jason Taumalolo stepped up for the Kiwis in their
17-16 win.The South Sydney talisman was criticised by sections of the English
media for his attempt at an audacious pass between his legs that flew over Ryan
Halls head late in the Four Nations game as England desperately tried to find a
way to win.He also gave away a crucial penalty that allowed the Kiwis early in
the tackle count to clear the downfield as the home side pressed for victory.But
Hodgson said criticism of Burgess was unfair and undeserved.I thought it was a
real captains performance from him, Hodgson said.He carried the ball strong annd
he tackled hard and did a great job.
Womens
Buccaneers Jerseys. . We were all doing everything we could to win
the game, none more so than Sam.I dont think any player should be singled out
for us losing; we all have to take some of the blame.Were disappointed in
ourselves. You can take losing when you do everything you can and its not enough
but we werent at our best and that was disappointing.England must now beat
Scotland at Coventry on Saturday and then overcome Australia in London to have
any hope of reaching the final at Anfield on November 20.But Hodgson insists
England still believe they can win the tournament.We know what weve got to do,
well go back and improve on a few things, he said.Well have to play well to beat
Scotland and then well regroup and get ready for Australia. No-one in our team
is thinking all is lost.
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