Cubs' Theo Epstein makes triumphant return 'home'
BOSTON — Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein sauntered into Fenway Park on Friday afternoon, uncertain where the visiting clubhouse was located, and got lost on his way to the dugout, but it still felt as if he never left.
He gave a downtown speech in the afternoon at a charity event, sat down for an interview session in front of about 50 reporters and TV crews, signed autographs for fans, greeted Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell and Red Sox employees, and then soaked in the game sitting in the suite of Red Sox President Sam Kennedy, one of his closest friends.
It has been six years since Epstein abruptly left the Red Sox as their general manager, upset over the direction the franchise was headed, and perhaps even fearing what he had become, but now, it felt like home again.
“I tried to be cool about it,’’ Epstein says, “but it’s really gratifying to be back. I’ve really been looking forward to this weekend for a long time. I’m on Cloud 9.’’
Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner certainly made it more comfortable, breaking the icy six-year silence during the winter, telephoning and congratulating him for winning the Cubs’ first World Series title in 108 years. Yes, just as he had done in 2004 when he ended the Red Sox’s 86-year curse.
Epstein, who arrived in town Thursday, actually was too impatient to wait until this day. He popped into Fenway Park on Thursday night, caught a few innings of the Red Sox-New York Yankees game, and hung out in his old baseball office, drinking a few beers with friends.
Epstein is trying to go incognito as much as he can, but it’s not possible, not in this baseball-crazed city. When he went on his morning run with a cap pulled down over his eyes, a runner going the opposite direction noticed him, and simply raised his hand, giving him a high-five while going by.
No words were needed.
“That was cool, just a stranger welcoming me back,’’ Epstein said. “It’s good to be home. This is home. You only have one hometown. This is my hometown.
“It’s more than that, really. I fell in love with baseball here. My parents and brother still live here. I spent 10 years working in the ballpark every day here. My first son was born here. I met my wife.
“It’s nice being here to appreciate this part of my past.’’
If it were up to the good folks of New England, this would be part of his future, too. If the Red Sox are ever sold, they would love for Epstein to be part of that next ownership group.
And if he’s not returning to the Red Sox, well, they’d welcome him back as their next senator or governor, too.
“I don’t think he would ever go into politics, but he would certainly do well in it,’’ Curt Schilling, Epstein’s first marquee free agent signing for the Red Sox, told USA TODAY Sports. “He’s one of my only liberal friends, which makes him a vastly flawed human in that sense, but it doesn’t override the factor that he’s a great guy.
“But I don’t think he wants to be in the middle of that. In baseball, you have the public scrutiny, but not like you do in politics."
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No worries, Epstein reiterated Friday that he has no interest in entering the political world when his five-year, $50 million contract expires, even if he has to resort into doing something illegal to squash the talk.
“I think I need to go do something really ill-advised or commit a felony or something,’’ Epstein said at his charity Hot Stove Cool Music luncheon, “so I can put a stop to it in a hurry.’’
Epstein laughed, but he is almost more irritated at the talk and Fortune hyping him as the world’s greatest leader, than bemused by all of the attention.
Please, he asks, can everyone simply let him just be the architect of a baseball club, vying to make the World Series an annual event in Chicago, than trying to put him in a foreign arena.
“He gets so embarrassed by that stuff,’’ says Cubs vice president Jason McLeod, who worked with Epstein during all three of his World Series championships. “We give him a lot of ribbing in the office about it. We’ll act like we’re honored to be in his presence, and he’ll say, 'Screw you guys.' ’’
Yet, it’s Epstein’s brilliance, charisma, and uncanny ability to develop a winning culture that has everyone in a tizzy about his homecoming weekend. You don’t end 194 years of World Series droughts, and turn two iconic organizations into perennial contenders, without folks taking notice.
“The thing about Theo is that he has never wavered from his approach,’’ Schilling says, “and that makes him different from everyone else. He doesn’t panic. He believes in his message. And he trusts his people to do the right job.
“Think about it, he brought a World Series to Boston, and when ownership ran him out and he left, I told everyone that the Cubs would be competing in the World Series within five years.
“Look at them now. Look all of the depth. And they’ve got money.
“They have a chance to be the (New England) Patriots of baseball for the next 15 years.’’
Certainly, Epstein is more charming that Patriots coach Bill Belichick, and if you consider Epstein’s handiwork with the Cubs’ gorgeous new offices, you could say he’s a better architect, too.
“It’s spectacular,’’ said McLeod, who moved into their new digs Monday, “and Theo was involved in every intimate detail. It’s something he was really passionate about. I can’t begin to tell you the myriad of emails that he would send to us all, everything from the architectural design to the interior design. We would get these late-night emails from him. He would be sending pictures after pictures of different type of sofa chairs, ideas for the lounge area, ideas for the kitchen area, and everything was so detailed.
“Even knowing him and working for him as long as I have, I was amazed in the amount of effort he put into it.
“Now that you see the finished product, no one should be surprised considering it’s Theo’s work.’’
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Epstein’s work was on display for everyone to see at Fenway. He was responsible for seven players on the Red Sox’s active roster that he drafted or signed, including stars Dustin Pedroia, Mookie Betts, Xander Bogaerts, and Jackie Bradley Jr. The Cubs’ team are mostly all of his players, too, drafted, signed and acquired.
“I just feel so fortunate,’’ Epstein says. “You come to a place with this kind of history, this type of ballpark, these kind of passionate fans, it enhances the entire experience. Here, people care more, the wins and losses matter more, people are talking about what happened in the eighth inning at the dinner table as well as, 'How was your day at school, how was your day at work?'
“Red Sox baseball ingrained in the fabric of this whole region, so when you’re a part of it, you feel a greater obligation. It makes it more meaningful. To have that same level of passion, that same experience again in Chicago, I just feel fortunate.
“I don’t know if I could go to another run-of-the-mill baseball department and work because it would probably feel like work. In Boston and Chicago, it doesn’t feel like work. It feels like a privilege.’’
Epstein, who wore only his wedding ring and none of his three World Series rings Friday, actually brought along his 2016 Cubs’ ring on this trip. He gave his dad his 2004 ring, so now Leslie Epstein can take a picture of the iconic rings on each hand. The 2016 World Series trophy is here, too, which will be placed alongside the 2004 trophy for photo ops at weekend charity functions.
Epstein may be talked into a picture himself, but really, he says, he’s perfectly fine with those glorious memories.
“They were really different experiences,’’ Epstein says. “In '04, our team was already really talented. Our '02 team had a Hall of Fame corps, and I thought you had to bring in the right type of players to supplement the core that we had. It was obvious we were in a very competitive window.
“Chicago was the opposite.
“We were starting with the benefit of a blank slate. We were kind of going in the opposite direction, trading away from our big-league team, trying to build up a nucleus of young players, knowing that it would take some time.’’
It took five years, setting off a celebration that has yet to stop. Five million fans attended their World Series parade. Epstein threw a World Series party in January, complete with Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and actor Bill Murray, that lasted until nearly dawn. They’ve had at least four ring ceremonies for players, front-office staffers, stadium-operation employees and former players.
And coming into town now as the only man to build World Series championships in Boston and Chicago, there's little wonder why this will be a weekend that Epstein may never forget.
“It kind of validates my decision to try a new challenge,’’ Epstein says. “It wasn’t a foolish thing to leave. It feels good.
“But I’d be happy coming here under any circumstance. Any day you walk into this ballpark, it’s a great day.’’
Epstein paused, slowly exhaled, and said: “This is a great day.
“I’m a Bostonian.
“It’s good to be home.’’
Follow Bob Nightengale on Facebook and on Twitter @Bnightengale
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