Theo Epstein Named World's Greatest Leader by Fortune Magazine

Fortune magazine named Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein the world's greatest leader on Thursday.

Epstein topped a list of 50 luminaries that also included Pope Francis, Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James and former United States Vice President Joe Biden.

Epstein assembled a 2016 Cubs team that won the franchise's first World Series championship since 1908.

After catching wind of Thursday's honor, Epstein wrote the following to ESPN's Buster Olney in a text message (h/t ESPN.com's Darren Rovell):

"

Um, I can't even get my dog to stop peeing in the house. That is ridiculous. The whole thing is patently ridiculous. It's baseball—a pastime involving a lot of chance. If [Ben] Zobrist's ball is three inches farther off the line, I'm on the hot seat for a failed five-year plan. And I'm not even the best leader in our organization; our players are.

"

The 43-year-old Yale alum has made a habit of ending so-called curses in the baseball world, as he was the general manager of the Boston Red Sox in 2004 when they won their first World Series since 1918.

Epstein joined the Cubs following the 2011 season. Chicago didn't win more than 73 games in any of his first three years at the helm, but it ended a six-year playoff drought and reached the NLCS in 2015.

Thanks to the most talented, young roster in Major League Baseball headlined by the likes of Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Addison Russell and Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs improved to 103 wins in 2016 and ended the season as champions.