Welcome Back, Theo: Theo Epstein to Return to Red Sox

A month after Theo Epstein unexpectedly refused to sign a 3-year, $4.5 million contract with the Red Sox (and thus effectively quit as general manger) Rob Bradford of the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune reports that Epstein will return to the team as Senior Advisor (Rob Bradford, "Sox Owner Henry Clears Way for Epstein's Return," 12/11/2005). He will provide advice to his two former assistants, Ben Cherrington and Jed Hoyer, who will become co-general managers. Interestingly, Bradford also reports that Epstein may resume his general manager position as early as the spring if team president/CEO Larry Lucchino accepts a diminished role (i.e., Theo would need to have direct access to the team's owner, John Henry).

It will be interesting to see how the Theo/Larry dynamic plays out in Round 2. It seems relevant to remind ourselves that both are attorneys in addition to baseball executives. Lucchino is a Yale Law grad and a former associate at Williams and Connolly in D.C., while Epstein completed his law degree at the University of San Diego School of Law while simultaneously serving as Director of Baseball Operations for the San Diego Padres (and any attorney who worked a full-time job while attending law school at night has my utmost admiration -- I don't know how you did it, and I always ask that of my eldest sister Maria). So both Epstein and Lucchino likely have an acute awareness of their "rights" vis-a-vi each other, and as any good law school graduate will tell you, they will want those rights spelled out in great specificity. In short, Round 2, like Round 1, seems poised for acrimony.

But all of that aside, and speaking strictly as a Red Sox fan, it's exciting that Epstein will be returning. He's bright, creative, local (a native of Brookline -- he actually understands our pain), and, most importantly, assembled most of the players who comprised the 2004 World Championship team.

I'm so thrilled, in fact, that I want every Sports Law Blog reader who is also a Red Sox fan to join me in singing the following melody (as sung to John Sebastian's Welcome Back, Kotter theme song):

Welcome back . . . your dreams were your ticket out.

Welcome back . . . to that same old place that you were ambivalent about.

Well the names haven't really changed since you hung around.

But those dreams have remained and they've turned around [especially by dumping Edgar Renteria -- why did you ever sign him in the first place??!! What was wrong with you??!!].

Who'd have thought they'd lead ya?
Who'd have thought they'd lead ya?

Back here instead of Costa Rica.
Back here instead of Costa Rica.

Yeah we tease him a lot cause Larry Lucchino's still got him on the spot, welcome back.

Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.
Welcome back, welcome back, welcome back.

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