Oct. 23--Congratulations go out to Theo Epstein next week on the 10-year anniversary of his escape from Fenway Park in a gorilla suit.
It happened on Halloween 2005, shortly after the Red Sox lost their division series to the White Sox, and one year after they won their first World Series in 86 years. Epstein grew disgusted with his boss and decided to quit his dream job as Red Sox general manager.
The media didn't realize at the time that Epstein had dressed up in a gorilla suit and gotten away in a car to escape the throng of reporters waiting for a comment.
The Boston Globe reported the next day that "issues of respect and control between Epstein and CEO/president Larry Lucchino could not be overcome, ultimately leading Epstein, 31, to reject the club's three-year, $4.5 million offer and give up what might well have been the only job he ever wanted."
Of course, Epstein eventually returned that winter and won another title in Boston before making a more conventional exit after a Red Sox collapse in 2011.
Funny, how life works.
Ten years after the gorilla suit episode, Epstein probably will be trick-or-treating with his kids in his North Side neighborhood, happier than ever in a job he probably never envisioned for himself in 2005. His Cubs were one of the best stories of the 2015 season, even after a brutal sweep at the hands of the Mets this week in the National League Championship Series.
Now the question isn't whether Epstein will remain as Cubs' president, but how much Chairman Tom Ricketts will have to pay him. Negotiations over an extension are expected this offseason, and the starting point is probably $35 million over five years, which is what Andrew Friedman received after bolting from the Rays to head up the Dodgers' baseball operations.
Epstein said Thursday at his annual end-of-the-season post-mortem that he hasn't thought about it since the last time the media asked him about it last month.
"Anyone's individual returns are not nearly as important as the organization's as a whole and the team on the field and what we're trying to do," he said. "So that is not anywhere near the top of the list of priorities this winter.
"But I'm sure this winter at some point we'll sit down and talk, not just about me, but about a lot of the guys in the front office who contribute behind the scenes, making sure this group can stay together for a while and finish what we started. But it's not something that's at the top of (the list)."
Ricketts has no leverage, unlike an arbitration hearing in which you can point to a players' numbers with runners in scoring position. It should be a brief negotiation, starting with the question: "How much?"
Epstein loves running the Cubs. He called it an "emotional clubhouse" after Wednesday's loss because the organization is "the most together, connected, team-first organization I've seen in a long time."
"No one was trying to grab any credit or deflect any blame," he said. "They all supported one another, and in the end the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. That's magical, and that's to be coveted and appreciated. The problem is you can't bottle it."
If the Cubs could bottle it, they probably would sell naming rights to the bottle. That's the new reality of Wrigley Field, where the pursuit of revenue streams is going to make it a different ballpark experience in the coming years, with more ad signage and more sponsors.
The new clubhouse also will be opening in 2016, theoretically to make the players more relaxed.
In the end, the Cubs should be in good position to make a playoff run for years. Once you get in, it's a crapshoot, as the Dodgers have learned over and over again.
Just how much money Epstein will get to spend in 2016 remains to be seen, though he said he would look for "impact" pitching, which suggests someone like David Price or Zack Greinke.
The 2016 budget hasn't been finalized, Epstein said, though he admitted the playoff revenue and attendance increase should bolster the payroll. The big boost will come after 2019 with a new TV contract.
"We've talked about someday being must-see TV and a really entertaining product," he said. "We just don't know exactly what those numbers are. ... Obviously the 2016 payroll is not going to be as big as the 2020 payroll because of the (current) TV deal and everything else. But what the team accomplished this year should help and we all should have an aggressive mindset."
Epstein will get a little downtime as he awaits the general managers meetings in a couple of weeks in Boca Raton, Fla.
So if you see a happy gorilla standing at your doorstep on Halloween, give him an extra Snickers bar.
He has earned it.
psullivan@tribpub.com
