First Impressions Of Craig Breslow

Well, we officially met the new boss of the Red Sox yesterday. There were a few money quotes that came out of the press conference to officially introduce Craig Breslow to the Boston media but, generally speaking, we didn’t learn too much. Of course Breslow was going to tell us that he plans on “pursuing multiple pathways” to build a winner as opposed to focusing solely on one particular method of development and acquisition (every POBO and GM in baseball would say the same thing). Of course we would hear that financial resources “won’t be a limiting factor” (Sam Kennedy has pretty much always insisted that was the case). Of course there would be discussion about the lack of starting pitching in the organization (lol, duh).

Frankly, the press conference was mostly filled with vague, boiler-plate stuff about wanting to win and exploring every avenue to do so. We’ll know what kind of CBO Breslow is soon enough, but we’ll find that out through his actions, not his words.

Some other stray thoughts:

• Breslow showed up wearing a starched white shirt and tie, while Kennedy was in a more casual patterned Oxford with an open collar. I am chosing to interpret this as Breslow deliberately trying to show up his boss on the first day. DRAMA!
• Boy, Breslow sure does like using business school buzz words. I’ll be honest, I’m not sure that’s the best way for him to optimize his communicative interfacing with the fans, but I’ll chalk it up to being nervous and trying a little too hard to impress.
• It’s clear that his immediate focus is going to be on pitching, as it should be given the imbalance in the organization. No one should be surprised if he soon trades away a member of “exciting position player core” to bolster the rotation.
• Once again, ownership ghosted us (though John Henry and Tom Werner were in attendance and Werner did speak to a few members of the media afterwards). It’s downright amazing to see what type owner Henry has become in recent years, given that he used to frequent fan message boards, roam the ballpark on game day, and show up unannounced at radio studios to rebut criticism of the team. Perhaps he didn’t want to face any questions about the fact that he’s apparently in a bidding war with the king of Saudi Arabia?

• One thing Werner did say in one of his media break-outs was that the club would be “full throttle” this offseason. Combine language like that with Breslow’s repeated use of words like “bold” and “risk” and they’re certainly laying the foundation for an active hot stove.
• According to Kennedy, the interview process began with a trip to Johnny’s Luncheonette in Newton Centre. I’ve been there! I’ve actually been there lots of times, because when you have three kids under the age of seven, you kinda can only go to places that serve milkshakes and don’t get too upset when someone draws on the table. As greasy spoon joints go, Johnny’s is a fine place. But, unless Breslow’s kids were in on the interview for some reason, I’m disappointed in their choice. SUSHICO is right down the street!