And Away They Go

A Nation Out of Bounds

Boston Attention Causes Tension

"You can have no life here... you can't go out with family and friends without being subject to the town wanting a part of you... that takes a toll on you." -- David Wells

Manny Likes Anaheim; No One Bothered Him at the Mall

"Manny has issues with Boston and privacy... I think the privacy issue is the ability to kind of leave your apartment and go to the park with your kid. Leave your apartment and go out to dinner with your wife without sort of being surrounded by well-wishers and autograph seekers, things like that." -- 7.28, Larry Lucchino on WEEI

"I think Manny is just looking for change more than anything, and I think that this coming up every… and that’s not to belittle his emotions and feelings, I talked to Manny about this a couple of times towards the end of the season and expressed my desire that I didn’t want him to go if he could find a way to make it here. I think one of the things that tends to really catch guys off-guard is the attention you get off the field." -- 10.29, Curt Schilling on WEEI

"There also is a quality of life issue to consider. Epstein, who grew up in Brookline, can rightfully complain of privacy issues as great, if not greater, than Ramirez, though he has never done so. His youth, and hometown ties, have led many fans to approach him with an often brazen disregard for his personal space. There are times when Epstein, even when just running out for a sandwich, has to pretend he's on his cellphone to escape people who want a piece of him. The fact he is rated one of Boston's most desired bachelors only intensifies the attention.

"A small price to pay for running the Sox? That's easy for someone on the outside to say.

"'This town is hard to play in,' David Wells said Friday night. 'You can have no life here. You leave the stadium, you can't go out with family and friends without being subject to the town wanting a part of you. We understand it, but I don't think [the fans] do. That takes a toll on you.'" -- 10.9, Gordon Edes, Boston Globe

"People don't understand there's times when we want to be private. There's a lot of times people come up and they get in your business. ... It's one of the reasons that for next year I am relocating. I'm moving out of the city so I can be with myself a little more." -- 9.17, Keith Foulke, San Francisco Chronicle

More Adventures of Theo and Larry

"What is alarming -- for the future of the Sox franchise -- is Theo's sudden need to distance himself from those who helped him rise to his position of power. ...Theo 'bristles at the notion of Steinberg and Lucchino taking credit for his success.'

"...Granted, Epstein is a student of the game, but it's a mistake to say he knows more about baseball than Lucchino or anyone else in the Red Sox baseball operation...

"Lucchino-bashers, and they are a legion, maintain that he repeatedly has undermined Theo and on occasion killed deals made by Epstein and the minions. There was one, for sure. When Theo's assistant Josh Byrnes (hired by Arizona as GM Friday) made a deal with Colorado, Epstein thought he had a better deal with another club and requested that Lucchino fall on the sword and invoke the ownership approval clause to kill the Rockies deal. Accustomed to people hating him, Lucchino took the fall, killing the deal and saving Epstein.

"...Epstein's minions probably have done more talking about Theo's situation than anyone in Sox management. When postseason baseball visited Chicago, at least one nationally known Lucchino-hating Epstein source was trashing the Sox CEO to anyone who'd listen.

"It would be a mistake for Epstein to think he can separate Lucchino from John Henry. Henry is a quiet man, but he is not a dolt. He believes in and trusts Lucchino. He admires his young GM, but it would be a mistake for Epstein to force Henry to choose." -- 10.30, Dan Shaughnessy, Boston Globe

Gammons on the Rockies Deal