The leadoff-hitter thing, I think, it's always nice to have an established leadoff hitter and to have someone who can really get on base and set the tone. Theo Epstein More Quotes by Theo Epstein More Quotes From Theo Epstein I just saw over the years that the times that we did remarkable things, it was always because players didn't want to let each other down. Players wanted to lift each other up. Theo Epstein remarkableplayer Even idiots can grow up a little bit. It should be a bit more subdued. ... The first celebration should be subdued, and the fourth one should be crazy. Theo Epstein growing-upcrazylittles Ten years from now I think people are going to look back and say Willis Reed pulled a Curt Schilling...Willis Reed scored four points. Curt Schilling went seven innings against one of the best offenses of recent memory. No offense to Willis Reed. Theo Epstein memoriesyearsthinking It truly feels great to be a Cub today. Theo Epstein cubsfeelstoday Josh Bard is a catcher with excellent defensive tools and someone ... whose best days are ahead of him. He's not coming off his best [offensive] season, but we still think there is some ceiling on him. He has outstanding makeup and calls a good game. [He's] a solid receiver with a plus arm, and he's going to be coming to camp with a chance to open some eyes. Theo Epstein makeupeyethinking Baseball is a game based on adversity. It's a game that's going to test you repeatedly. It's going to find your weaknesses and vulnerabilities and force you to adjust. That adversity, in the big picture, is a really good thing because it shows you where your weaknesses are. It gives you the opportunity to improve. Theo Epstein gamegoodyouopportunity You reach a point where you're trying to survive. You're just trying to put the ball in play. You're not yourself. You're searching for your identity as a hitter on a nightly basis. That's just really hard. And it is not atypical at all for players to need to change their environment in order to rediscover who they are. Theo Epstein yourselfyouchangeidentity Tolerance is important, especially in a democracy. The ability to have honest conversations, even if you come from a different place, a difference perspective, is fundamentally important. Theo Epstein youtoleranceperspectivedemocracy It's a human phenomenon that there has to be a reason for everything. There almost never is. Theo Epstein humaneverythingneverreason Players that tend to respond to adversity the right way and triumph in the end are players with strong character. If you have enough guys like that in the clubhouse, you have an edge on the other team. Theo Epstein youadversityteamcharacter I believe in the First Amendment. But I also believe we should be mindful of how other people feel. Theo Epstein feeli-believebelievepeople If you're trying to avoid one move that you don't think is going to work out, don't then settle for a different move that maybe doesn't check all the boxes. Be true to the philosophy and understand the bigger picture. There's always another day to fight. Theo Epstein fightdayyouwork Failure is inherent in the game. So if you don't respond well to adversity, you're probably not going to have a long career. Theo Epstein gameyoufailurelong The Cubs, we built one of best farm systems - I think for a while there, it was the best farm system in baseball. And that was great. It got a lot of attention. But we didn't want the credit for the farm system. What we wanted was to see if we could do the tricky part, which was turn a lauded farm system into a World Series champion. Theo Epstein bestgreatchampionworld When people do things they weren't even sure they were capable of, I think it comes back to connection. Connection with teammates. Connection with organization. Feeling like they belong in the environment. I think it's a human need - the need to feel connected. Theo Epstein feelfeelingthinkpeople Be intentional about the spaces you create but not at the cost of compromising other elements. Theo Epstein aboutcreateyoucost To win the World Series, you have to be able to do a lot of things well. Theo Epstein thingswinyouworld Communication is different in the clubhouse than it is in a boardroom. The heartbeat that exists in the clubhouse, you don't find that same type of heartbeat in the front office. Theo Epstein findyoucommunicationoffice There's a cumulative effort within the course of a game, a series, and a season, too, where you see so many pitches and have so many at-bats that you can wear down an opponent. Once you develop that reputation as a club, year after year, players come in, and they tend to fit in with that profile. Theo Epstein downgameyoueffort If I let my brain follow its path unfettered, it would be kinda ugly. Theo Epstein followuglypathbrain
