Terry Francona: How Will Release Impact Theo Epstein's Job?

It's not exactly shocking news, but all signs are pointing to Tito Francona being officially out as the Manager of the Boston Red Sox.

Friday, September 30 at 10:25 a.m. EDT

CSN New England's Sean McAdam is one of several sources to report that the Red Sox have declined Francona's option.

As a general rule, I would suggest that people not make long term decisions based on something that happened in the short term. Think about how that could be in either extreme, especially in a sport like baseball.

But Francona's ouster is not exactly a surprise. The 2011 Red Sox will be forever remembered as one of the biggest choke jobs in baseball history. When that happens, the manager is almost always going to be a casualty.

But what else is going to happen?

Ever since the Cubs fired Jim Hendry in July, Theo Epstein has been one of the big names rumored to be heading to Chicago.

Friday, September 30 at 12:43 p.m. EDT

NBC Sports posted via Twitter that Epstein wouldn't exactly be opposed to going to the Cubs.

Now, Craig Calcaterra's article wouldn't exactly hold up in court if you were trying to prove that Epstein will go to the Cubs, but think about it for a second.

Boston and Chicago are both big markets. Theo Epstein is already the General Manager that ended the "Curse of the Bambino." If he were to go to Chicago and win a World Series with the Cubs, how would history remember Epstein?

Right now, he has nothing more to accomplish in Boston. Look at everything that's happening now.

Does the name Ed Barrow mean anything to anyone? Well, he was the last manager before Terry Francona to win a World Series with the Red Sox.

Still, after Francona won not one, but two World Series, he was only one collapse away from not having his contract renewed.

So, if Epstein stayed in Boston and won a third World Series, what would it do? The Red Sox have gone from expecting the worst to thinking that a World Series championship is entitled to them.

If he went to Chicago and won a World Series, he may well go down as the best front office man in the history of the game.

The money is big in Chicago. If he goes, he'll be given the chance to put a good team on the field that will be competitive year in and year out.

The attention is also big in Chicago. If he goes there and wins, his ego will be nicely stroked. Don't kid yourselves, ego is a big factor in pro sports.

If Francona's firing taught us one thing, it's that sports is the ultimate "What have you done for me lately?" business. The two World Series titles might as well have been won 100 years ago.

That goes for Epstein just as much as Francona. With nothing more to prove in Boston, maybe it's time for Epstein to take his talents elsewhere.

Even if he goes to Chicago and fails, will that really hurt his long term legacy. Down the road, he'll still be the GM who won a World Series in Boston. If he can't win in Chicago, the situation will be blamed more than Epstein.

If he does win in Chicago, the credit will fall largely on him. It's time for Epstein to move west to try to break another curse.