Successful people, consistently successful people, understand the difference between process and results. A recent article in the Boston Herald about Theo Epstein, the general manager of the Boston Red Sox, shows that Theo understands this principle well. It is the primary reason behind the consistent competitiveness of the Boston Red Sox since the beginning of the Epstein Era. I love this team more than ever because it has become such a model of scientific excellence, marketing genius, innovative management, and patient execution.
Are you judging your personal, professional, and organizational results on …

Rumors abound that my beloved Boston Red Sox plan to bid vigorously for the services of free agent Mark Teixeira and Japanese pitching phenom Junichi Tazawa. Although I’d like to see the team take the challenge of developing and sustaining a winning team in a major market with a Moneyball philosophy, I’m actually excited by the possibilities of these two signings. I’d rather see the team stay competitive while reducing its overall payroll, but if we’re going to spend money in the free agent market, then we should spend the …

It’s been a busy year and I haven’t been able to catch as many Red Sox games as I would have liked. Granted, the urgency has been diminished by two championships in the last four years after a near century of long-suffering from close calls and dramatic second-place denouements. The championship in 2004, which broke the slump, was highly cathartic and wonderfully expressed by this surprisingly sympathetic and understanding Nike (NKE) commercial. I cry every time I watch it. Since that 2004 campaign, I’ve watched the franchise grow in sophistication. …

Closers in sales are valuable. Closers in baseball are not so valuable.
Jonathan Papelbon, the closer for the Boston Red Sox pitching staff is pulling the “I’ve got to do what’s best for my family so I’m asking for a humongous raise” routine. Admittedly, he is one of the best young arms in baseball regardless of pitching role. He is also a unique talent in the world of dance. He joined the Red Sox a couple of years ago and, through unforeseen circumstances, found himself entrenched in …

Spring training has arrived – hard to believe that I’ll get to watch my Red Sox play for games that count in a couple months. The team has a good chance to improve on last year’s championship season because of the infusion of youth that Theo Epstein and his Ivy League staff are ushering in. Of course, old superstars like Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz will continue to carry the team. But, with Jacoby Ellsbury, Jon Lester, Dustin Pedroia, and Clay Buchholz projected to play major roles, the team seems …