I am writing in response to Chris Ferruso’s column, “Evil Empire Strikes Back” (Jan. 29, pg. 12). While the column does correctly express some of the sources of resentment throughout Red Sox Nation, I must take issue with your assessment of Theo Epstein’s job performance.
All in all, I think Epstein’s done a very good job this offseason, and the critics of the young general manager should back off. Have we not learned anything from last year’s Patriots’ Super Bowl victory or the Anaheim Angels championship this past fall? There are other ways to approaching success than simply going after the big names.
While you may consider the Red Sox acquisitions this offseason “second rate,” they also come at a much cheaper price. The cost of all those players, Mendoza, Timlin, Giambi, Walker and Mueller combine to roughly the same price that the Yankees are playing Contreras, who along with Matsui have never played a single inning of a Major League game. The only way the Red Sox acquisitions pale in comparison is in the pricetag, which is a good thing in my opinion.
These critics of Epstein are the same critics who blasted Dan Duquette and the previous administration for their short-sightedness. Maybe Jeremy Giambi will play like his brother Jason probably he won’t but odds are that he’ll perform a lot better than Tony Clark did last year, and for much less.
Do we really need another Jose Offerman? While the financial constraint of the Red Sox this offseason may frustrate most fans, I view it as a step in the right direction. The Yankees can and will outspend everyone until they win a championship. That’s just a fact. But every other team has to deal with the reality of a budget. I absolutely would have loved to see Bartolo Colon or Cliff Floyd in a Red Sox uniform next year, but I’m glad they didn’t overpay to get them. Had they overspent now, it would have cost them in the long run. Let’s not forget that Pedro Martinez and Nomar Garciaparra could both be free agents after 2004. I realize most fans aren’t looking that far ahead, but it’s great to see that our young general manager is.
Finally, one last point is that too much is made of Epstein’s age. I don’t put much stock in the report that Epstein smashed a chair after losing out on Alfonzo (after all, according to one of the New York papers, Mo Vaughn was supposed to be traded back to Boston for Tony Clark), and to say Epstein lost out on Colon because of a lack of maturity is just foolish. He “lost out” on Colon because the Red Sox, rightfully so, were not willing to include Casey Fossum in the deal with the Expos. It had nothing to do with the Yankees, nothing to do with the White Sox and most certainly nothing to do with Epstein’s maturity.
Maybe in the minds of critics, Epstein hasn’t “won” in December or January. But let’s give him a chance, and we’ll see how his critics feel in October while Red Sox Nation is celebrating our first world championship in 85 years.
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