The Most Publicized GM Sagas in MLB History

When general manager Theo Epstein bolted from Boston to become president of baseball operations for the lovable loser Cubs, it left Sox fans shaking their heads in disbelief.

It also led Cubs fans to shake their heads in disbelief—that Epstein would leave the Red Sox for the Cubs.

A surprising move, even after the disappointment of September 2011, left the Red Sox searching for a new direction after manager Terry Francona had previously left the organization. 

In the offseason prior to his departure, Epstein did acquire MVP candidate Adrian Gonzalez, but he also vastly overpaid the underachieving Carl Crawford and ultimately failed in getting the heavily favored Red Sox to the playoffs.

Compelling general manager sagas aren't exactly the easiest stories to find.  Generally the rule of thumb is, if the everyday fan knows who your team's general manager is, something's wrong.

Here's five more GM-influenced stories that stand out above others.

Branch Rickey Makes the Move That Breaks Down the Color Barrier

While Jackie Robinson breaking MLB's color barrier will go down as one of, if not the most important moment in MLB's grand history, it first took someone to sign Robinson.

That man was then-Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey.  Not exactly a household name, but any man with the nickname "Mahatma" has to be something special.

You can also add inventing the modern day farm system, introducing batting helmets and drafting a guy named Roberto Clemente to Rickey's impressive résumé.

However, signing Robinson was truly the test of Rickey's career.  Working closely as an adviser to Robinson, and against the wishes of a large portion of the public, the move changed the history of the league, and our country, forever.

Kevin Malone Picks a Fight

From a civil rights champion to a school yard bully, this list takes a quick ethical turn.

Picking fights with fans in professional sports is nothing new, but it's usually left to the likes of Ron Artest—not your team's general manager.

Kevin Malone proclaimed himself a "new sheriff in town" when he took over the Dodgers in 1998. And it only took a couple of years for him to shoot his horse.

Obviously defensive about his questionable, high-priced signings, Malone got in a fight with a Padres fan who was heckling Gary Sheffield. 

A couple of days later he was out of a job.

Randy Smith Run out of Detroit by Dave Dombrowski

Dave Dombrowski was hired as the president and CEO of the Detroit Tigers in 2002, keeping Randy Smith as the general manager of the team and vowing to work closely with him.  Lucky for Tigers fans, the relationship went sour quick.

Their partnership lasted exactly six games.

While Matt Millen was just getting ready to run the Tigers' neighbors (NFL's Detroit Lions) into the ground, Randy Smith had nearly a decade head start across the street.

Smith had signed the likes of Tony Clark, Damion Easley and Bobby Higginson to ridiculous deals and, in fact, his best move might have been getting rejected by prima donna Juan Gonzalez on his eight year, $140 million contract extension.

After the 0-6 start, Dombrowski cut the franchises losses and began full rebuild mode.  While the team suffered through a nightmarish 2003 that saw 119 losses, Dombrowski eventually led the organization back to respectability.

Jim Bowden Skims off the Top in DC?

Jim Bowden is still involved in baseball as an analyst for the MLB Network and ESPN.com, a surprising fact since some of the things he's said, done or been accused of would have made Jose Canseco blush.

Among his controversial moments are trading fan-favorite Jeff Shaw out of Cincinnati after a handshake deal, comparing the baseball union to the Al Qaeda and recommending they start the strike on September 11th, and most controversial, being part of a federal investigation related to embezzling a portion of Latin players' signing bonuses.

For all this behavior he's rewarded with a co-hosting job on MLB Network's "Inside Pitch."  Wow, letting this guy be a face of your league is like the NFL putting Pacman Jones in charge of the league's ethics committee.

Kenny Wiliams and Ozzie Guillen Love/Hate Relationship

Over the years, the White Sox former manager Ozzie Guillen and general manager Kenny Williams have had a relationship that made Kim Kardashian and Kris Humprie's marriage look successful.

Once Guillen discovered Twitter, it only got worse.

Guillen's in-your-face managing style seemed to frustrate the reclusive, but not opinionated Kenny Williams.  However, Guillen always had a knack for keeping the White Sox in the pennant chase and won a title in 2005, leaving Guillen with little ammunition to lead to his dismissal.

Finally, after a second half collapse in 2011, the two mercifully ended the relationship in an apparent mutual agreement, leaving White Sox fans at peace and the rest of the country a little less entertained.