Boston Red Sox President and CEO Larry Lucchino introduced Ben Cherington as the Red Sox new VP and General Manager on Tuesday afternoon. The introduction was no surprise. It was no secret that Cherington would take the reigns from former-GM Theo Epstein, who resigned on Friday. Epstein said goodbye to fans in a Boston Globe ad on Sunday and was introduced as the Chicago Cubs President earlier in the day. NESN televised the Cherington press conference as it happened at Fenway Park in Boston.
Cherington, who is a New Hampshire native and lifelong Red Sox fan, became the 11th GM in team history. He openly spoke on a wide range of topics, including his past and rise to this position, his similarities to Theo Epstein, the manager search, a few specific players and his thoughts on the organization as a whole.
The surprise of the day came from Cherington’s answer to a question on the status of Boston's troubled pitcher John Lackey. The new GM made his first major announcement. Lackey, who dealt with personal issues and injuries during the season as well as questions on his character and work ethic after the season, will undergo Tommy John surgery soon and is expected to miss the entire 2012 season.
Follow Brian on Twitter @BrianRabuffetti
Comments