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Red Sox' Lucchino Expresses Confidence In Kennedy As His Successor

Red Sox President & CEO Larry Lucchino on Saturday said that he will be "stepping down" at the end of the year, according to Gordon Edes of ESPN BOSTON. Lucchino in a statement said, "The end of this year is a good time for this change. We would have preferred to announce all of our transition plans at once, including my new role, but I can tell you we all feel strongly that [Red Sox Exec VP & COO] Sam Kennedy, who has been with me for 20 years, should be the next president of the Boston Red Sox. Sam will do a terrific job. He is able, well-prepared, and fiercely dedicated to the Red Sox and to Boston" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 8/2). Edes cited a source as saying that Lucchino "will take on a more strategic and less day-to-day role." News of Lucchino's decision "surfaced the day after the trade deadline, at which the Red Sox did little to improve a ballclub headed toward its third last-place finish in four years." However, sources "insisted the timing was coincidental" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 8/1). In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy noted Kennedy "would take on only one of Lucchino’s roles, that of club president" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2). In Boston, Silverman & Buckley wrote although the Red Sox are "on the verge of an historic shakeup," Kennedy’s responsibilities "will not include having a hand in baseball operations." Lucchino, who will turn 70 years old next month, has been "less visible over the past year, partly as a result of a serious motorcycle accident over the winter." He has also been "deeply involved with the purchase of the Pawtucket Red Sox and their bid to build a new stadium in Providence" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/2).

LONG TIME COMING: Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry in an e-mail wrote, "Lucchino is a Hall of Fame baseball executive who has left an indelible mark on Fenway and on the relationship between the Boston Red Sox and New England" (ESPNBOSTON.com, 8/1). Lucchino's departure will "break up the famous ownership trio that also includes" Henry and Chair Tom Werner, and the GLOBE's Shaughnessy reported Lucchino’s clout in the Red Sox' front office "appeared to wane after the collapse" of '11 and "subsequent firing of popular manager Terry Francona." Sources said that Werner is "interested in taking over" as the club’s CEO, and Werner "has been playing a more prominent role" with the team. Kennedy: "There’s a transition plan we’ve been talking about for a while. Larry has been a great mentor. I’m excited about the opportunity and grateful to John and Tom for their confidence in me" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2). Shaugnessy wrote, "In my opinion, Lucchino is being nudged more than he is leaving of his own volition" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2). Lucchino, meanwhile, "remains an equity partner of the Sox ballclub" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2).

SAM I AM: Lucchino, while running the Padres, "hired Brookline High School classmates Theo Epstein and Kennedy as interns." When Henry’s group "was awarded the Red Sox, Lucchino brought both young talents to Boston" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2). In Boston, Peter Abraham noted Kennedy has "steadily gained influence and power" within the organization. A source said, "This is Sam’s time. Everybody in the building knows that.” Abraham noted while Kennedy "has not been directly involved in baseball decisions, he has been a voice in the room when significant decisions are made and has a close relationship" with GM Ben Cherington. Kennedy "will bring a different manner to the position than the hard-charging and often gruff Lucchino." Kennedy "builds consensus, initially agreeing with somebody he might disagree with then bringing them to his side of the issue." The shift within the Red Sox' front office "also creates opportunity" for Red Sox Exec VP/Business Affairs Jonathan Gilula, who is "widely respected" and could replace Kennedy as COO (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2). The GLOBE's Shaugnessy cited a source as saying that Kennedy had been "offered a number of positions in baseball and other sports," including with the Maple Leafs and NBA organizations. To avoid losing Kennedy, the Red Sox "assured him when he signed his most recent contract" in '12 that he "would be elevated to the level of president when Lucchino stepped down." While Kennedy will "gain the title of team president, the precise dimensions of his job responsibilities are less clear" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2). The HERALD's Michael Silverman notes the Red Sox "want Kennedy focused on increasing revenue streams." Kennedy: "Do I see myself as a baseball operations person, working in the depths of baseball operations? No, absolutely not." He added, "I’ll be there to support, provide resources, be a sounding board, help them, push back when necessary, but I believe we need to let the people who are the experts make those decisions" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/3). Sources said that Fenway Sports Group President Michael Gordon "remains a key adviser on baseball matters" and is expected to "serve as a sounding board for Kennedy" (ESPN.com, 8/2).

LARRY LOYALISTS: Shaughnessy noted the "ever combative Lucchino’s hard-charging style infuriated" late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and "many other owners, agents, and big league ballplayers" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/1). The HERALD's Silverman writes everyone will be watching to "see if a new voice is introduced into the baseball operations mix." That Lucchino was a "polarizing figure for many" and a "deeply caring mentor to so many loyalists who worked for and with him is no secret." It is also a "reflection of his complex personality and unique style and charm." That the Red Sox have decided that Kennedy "will not be involved in baseball operations reflects the sagest development this weekend" (BOSTON HERALD, 8/3). The GLOBE's Shaughnessy noted now it will just be Henry and Werner "running things their way, surrounded by loyal, hard-working subordinates eager to please the bosses." With Lucchino gone, the "potential for more chaos -- at a time when the Sox can ill afford more chaos -- appears to be infinite." Without "hard-charging Lucchino stalking the halls of Fenway, there will be less accountability and lively debate in the front office" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/2). The HERALD's Steve Buckley wrote Lucchino can be "meddlesome and argumentative." He "rubs some people the wrong way" and can be a "bully, a tyrant, a needler." But he is also the "single most important employee in the history" of the Red Sox. Meanwhile, Kennedy is the "Richie Cunningham of sports executives, an ever-smiling, back-slapping charmer who treats everyone in the room like an old frat buddy; in other words, he is no Lucchino." Buckley wrote of Lucchino, "Maybe you didn’t like him, but you’ll miss him in ways you don’t yet know." Lucchino "was -- is -- the real deal" (BOSTONHERALD.com, 8/1). YAHOO SPORTS' Mark Townsend wrote the good "definitely outweighs the bad, and history should reflect very fondly on Lucchino's time" in Boston (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 8/1).

HIGH HONORS: Kennedy was named to the SBJ/SBD Forty Under 40 Hall of Fame in '13, after being named to the class of '08 and '10 (THE DAILY).

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