The following conversation was recorded at the Cask ‘n Flagon, a bar on Brookline Ave by Fenway Park, at around 11 PM on Wednesday, November 2, 2005. Speaker A is believed to be Theo Epstein, former general manager of the Red Sox. Speaker B is unidentified, but appears to be a long-time friend.
<Transcript begins>
B: ….a lot of cake, man.
A: Yeah, but Mom and Dad have plenty. Besides, how many flat screen TVs do you need?
B: Still, you always told me this was your dream job.
A: Right, and I did it. I always wanted to win a series for the Sox and I did it. Been there, done that.
B: But even at Brookline High, even when we were kids, you said this was what you wanted to do when you grew up.
A: Actually, when I was a real little kid, I wanted to be a fireman. But I grew out of that. And I grew out of baseball too. Let me tell you something. I look out at that press conference at these grown men -- and some grown women -- and all I can think is how pathetic they are. Shaughnessy lives and dies by it. Lucchino has spent his entire life in it. And even someone like Henry -- who actually seems to have a brain -- falls gaga over it. It’s just a stupid game. A stupid game. But they treat it like it’s real life. And the fans, living and dying over every friggin’ detail. Don’t get me started.
B: You were always a fan too.
A: Yeah, but I never thought it was the real world. You know, all they say is how young I am. But I’m 31. I’m at the age when everyone else in baseball starts shilling for Fords or flopping on beds at Bernie & Phyl’s. Living on past glories, trapped in some sort of delayed adolescence. Not for me, man. It’s time to grow up. Time to do something meaningful with my life.
B: Around here, most people think the Sox are the most meaningful thing there is.
A: I know, I know. Sad, isn’t it? I didn’t have the heart to tell them how foolish and empty their lives are. So I just mumbled stuff about ‘my whole heart and soul’ and left it at that. Truth is, I want to accomplish something lasting, something that changes people’s lives.
B: Any ideas?
A: I don’t know. Maybe soft-core porn…?
<Transcript ends>
Comments