Shaughnessy's Talkin' About Jeremy

Is Everyone Drinking the
Kapstein Kool-Aid?

Just Add Kapstein for Instant GM?

"That leads us to an alternate scenario of giving the job to longtime baseball man Jeremy Kapstein for one year, with the young guys continuing to have significant input. Kapstein has already said he will do it for short money.

"With that option, how can Lucchino hand the job to Beattie, who wants three years, and, in all likelihood, something in the neighborhood of $1 million per? He can't -- or at least he shouldn't. There's a reason Beattie hasn't been given this position by now. The reservations are there, maybe in Lucchino's mind, as well...."

"Lucchino knows Kapstein well, having tapped his baseball expertise for years, both in San Diego and Boston. In spite of his extensive contacts, there's no doubt Kapstein is an unorthodox choice. He does not fit the visual bill of a public relations conscious franchise that likes polished people out front. Kapstein prefers windbreakers and shirts purchased at Wal-Mart. Of course, if it's image the Sox are worried about, that's nothing a haircut and a nicely cut suit (from somewhere other than Wal-Mart) can't fix.

"So do it, already. Stick with the group that brought you Beckett, Lowell, and Mota, and the first bit of positive spin you've had in weeks. Give Kapstein the GM title for a year, let the young guys continue to grow, and revisit your future next fall. Maybe you'll get lucky and Mark Shapiro will win a World Series in Cleveland, freeing him to come home and fulfill his dream of running the Red Sox." -- 12.2, Jackie MacMullan, Boston Globe