Morning Sports Update
“I know Theo as well as anybody in baseball and it’s very clear where he’s headed.”
Sam Kennedy’s clarification about Theo Epstein and the Red Sox: After the recent Red Sox decision to fire chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom, one name inevitably emerged as a potential dream candidate to take over the role: Theo Epstein.
However, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy quickly dispelled any notion of Epstein — architect of the 2004 and 2007 World Series winning teams — returning to his former home.
“I can rule out Theo Epstein as a candidate for one of these two positions,” Kennedy told reporters in the press conference following the Bloom announcement.
While there was speculation about why Kennedy was so quick to say Epstein wouldn’t return in a baseball executive role, he addressed it directly during a Thursday interview with “The Greg Hill Show” on WEEI.
“I know Theo as well as anybody in baseball and it’s very clear where he is headed,” Kennedy explained. “He’s likely headed to some type of ownership-management position within the game of baseball.
“So I just knew that he is not interested in a general manager or a president of baseball operations role,” Kennedy added. “So I could rule that out immediately, and I thought that was important.”
Epstein left the Red Sox in 2011 for a similar role with the Cubs. He built Chicago’s 2016 World Series winner, which (like Boston’s in 2004) was the team’s first in decades.
Since 2021, he’s served as a consultant for Major League Baseball.
“Theo is very close to the Red Sox organization as he is to many organizations,” Kennedy said later. “He’s got amazing relationships in the game, but I just wanted to make it clear that he was not going to be a candidate for either of these full-time roles that we’re embarking on a search for right now.”
Trivia: After the Red Sox hired Theo Epstein to be general manager in Nov. 2002, what player did he acquire in his first trade in the new role?
(Answer at the bottom).
Hint: Second baseman, acquired from the Reds, he played one season with the Red Sox before moving on to the Cubs.
Scores and schedule:
The Red Sox begin a three-game series against the White Sox tonight at Fenway Park. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.
On Saturday, the Revolution will face the Chicago Fire at Soldier Field at 8:30 p.m.
And on Sunday, the Connecticut Sun take on the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals at 1 p.m.
Also on Sunday, the Patriots will be at MetLife Stadium to play the Jets at 1 p.m.
More from Boston.com:
Stephen A. Smith “disgusted” by his first pitch: It did not go as planned.
On this day: In 2002, the Patriots overcame some wild swings in a 41-38 overtime win over the Chiefs. Tom Brady completed 39 passes for 410 yards — the first time in his career he crossed the 400-yard threshold — and threw four touchdowns to help offset Priest Holmes’s 180 rushing yards (and three touchdowns) for Kansas City.
The most impressive performance of the day belonged to wide receiver Troy Brown, who was targeted by Brady an astounding 21 times, making 16 catches (a single-game Patriots record) for 176 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown.
In other Boston news that day, Pedro Martinez won his 20th game of the season in a 13-2 Red Sox victory over the Orioles. Martinez joined teammate Derek Lowe in the 20-game-winner category, the first Boston pair to do so since Mel Parnell and Ellis Kinder in 1949.
Daily highlight: An incredible play all-around from Sophia Wadsworth of Northern Arizona volleyball.
Trivia answer: Todd Walker
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