Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino "expects to be with the Red Sox for years to come," according to Nick Cafardo of the BOSTON GLOBE. While Lucchino has not officially signed a new deal, he said, "I’ve reached an understanding on it, for the most part." Lucchino added, "I love Boston. I love the Red Sox. I feel like I’ve sunk my roots pretty deeply into the community. I expect to be here for several years to come." Cafardo noted it has been "well-documented that Lucchino has a greater role in baseball operations than he did in the later years" of former Exec VP & GM Theo Epstein's regime. But Lucchino "contends that he tailors his involvement to the situation." He said, "My role varies from year to year, from circumstance to circumstance, from GM to GM, and even within a certain GM. I may have one role at the start of a term as GM and another later on. Since my first days as president and CEO of the Orioles in 1988, I’ve always had a seat at the table in baseball operation matters, and sometimes I’m more active than I am at other times. It’s a question of circumstances -- whatever the club may need." Talking about the upcoming '12 season, Lucchino said, "This is an important year for the Red Sox. ... The (two-year) playoff drought is one of the things we have to end, as is restoring the fans’ faith in our players and our commitment to winning. Also, celebrating in a fitting and suitably large way the importance of the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park, and ensuring that the new leadership meshes together." Lucchino also mentioned that he believes that MLB is "as competitive as ever." He said, "There’s a new wave of teams that are out there now, teams with sizable new TV packages, teams with new leadership and ownership. I think the AL East is a very talented and difficult division, and there are other teams which have emerged as powerhouses like Texas, the Angels, Tampa Bay, Detroit" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/18).
TEAM OUTING: In Boston, Cafardo & Abraham noted the Red Sox "rented out the Bass Pro Shop in Fort Myers for a team outing" after yesterday's game against the Rays in Port Charlotte, Fla. The team was scheduled to have dinner followed by "competition in such events as crossbow shooting, fishing, air rifle, and kayak racing" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/18).
