Theo Epstein On The Baseball Reporters: 'I Still Root For The Red Sox'
BOSTON (CBS) -- The defending World Series champion Chicago Cubs head to Boston this weekend for a three-game series at Fenway Park to face the Red Sox, which brings the return of former Red Sox World Series heroes like Jon Lester and John Lackey. But above all else, it marks the return to Boston of former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein.
The Cubs president of baseball operations joined The Baseball Reporters with Tony Massarotti on Wednesday, touching on a wide range of topics related to both his current and former teams.
When asked about his current relationship with his former employers and colleagues at the Red Sox, Epstein said that he's on good terms with everyone, even Larry Lucchino - and admitted that a big part of his heart still lives in Boston.
"I still consider myself on great terms with the Red Sox," said Epstein. "I still root for the Red Sox. I'm really looking forward to this weekend. I'm still a Bostonian, with a new home in Chicago.
"You can't ever separate yourself from the team you grew up rooting for, and I spent a decade of my life there [in Boston]."
Epstein obviously played a major role in the building of the Red Sox' World Series championship teams in 2004 and 2007. But even the 2013 team that won it all, while Epstein was already building a winner in Chicago, had plenty of fingerprints left by Epstein's work as Red Sox GM, like Lester, Lackey, and young shortstop Xander Bogaerts. He admitted that he was a little proud of the mark he left on the team when they won.
"In '13, I was happy for everybody," said Epstein. "And there was a sense of pride in seeing Betts and Bogaerts and those guys. ... Yeah, there's a sense of connection there."
Epstein also went into the details of how he operates the Cubs organization, and the difficulties that come along with it. Listen to the full podcast below:
Listen to the full episode of The Baseball Reporters from April 25, 2017 by clicking here.