By Ian Casselberry on

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The legend of Theo Epstein was firmly cemented following the Chicago Cubs’ World Series title. After building the team that broke the Boston Red Sox’s championship curse with World Series wins in 2004 and 2007, Epstein already held hallowed status among baseball executives.

However, constructing the team that finally ended the Cubs’ 108-year World Series drought was arguably an even more impressive feat, one that makes him immortal in the sport’s history. If there’s a Mount Olympus for baseball general managers, Epstein is certainly on that pedestal. Hell, he might be the pedestal. It might be called Mount Epstein.

Further adding to the Theo mythology should be the postgame interviews he gave late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning after the Cubs’ 8-7, 10-inning win in Game 7 of the World Series. Most general managers and team executives come across as either buttoned-up sorts, more comfortable in a suite with upper-level management and ownership, or rumpled baseball men who might prefer to spend their time talking with scouts and poring over data more than having everyday conversations with colleagues and friends.

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Despite his Ivy League pedigree, Epstein comes across as a relatively regular guy in comparison. That is, as regular as a guy who gets to spray champagne in Bill Murray’s face during a clubhouse celebration after the team he built resulted in the Cubs’ first World Series title since 1908 can be.

Not to mention that he hangs out with Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, sits in the Wrigley Field bleachers in disguise, and built curse-busting World Series championship teams for two of the most renowned franchises in baseball history can possibly be. Theo may not be just like us, but during the Cubs’ postgame championship celebration, he acted like many regular people might. He got drunk and talked to everybody!

We’ve all that those times when it was a really good day at work, everything went right, and maybe you felt like you ruled the world, even if just for a minute. Maybe you get just a little too comfortable or relaxed in a situation when you should perhaps maintain a little bit of composure. Theo may have had one of those moments while talking to Chicago’s FOX 32 on the field in Cleveland. Live mic! Live on the air, Theo!

OK, maybe the guy is still a little sore about that Aaron Boone walkoff homer in the 2003 ALCS versus the Yankees. Human nature is to dwell on the positives over the negatives. Most of us tend to remember the one that got away. Hopefully, none of Theo’s friends or colleagues made the mistake of sending a premature congratulatory text on Wednesday.

But Theo lightened up shortly thereafter, perhaps after being reminded that dropping a F-bomb on live TV, even if it’s well past 2 a.m. and no one will likely file a FCC complaint, isn’t really cool — no matter what you just accomplished.

As the evening came to a close, at least at the ballpark, Theo summed up his mood nicely and in TV-friendly language. It was like the best Friday before a vacation ever. Checked out!

“Jed’s in charge,” he said to CSN Chicago, referring to Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer. “I’m going on a bender.”

No word on whether or not Epstein went on a epic pub crawl during the early Thursday hours in Cleveland. Nor is there any indication that Hoyer plans to exert his temporary newfound authority in the Cubs’ front office.

But if there was a good day to replace the Keurig in the break room with a Breville espresso machine, this would probably be the best time to do it. Maybe someone can interview Hoyer about it Thursday night or sometime Friday. It might be better to check in on Theo, however. He’s probably going to take another day on Friday and go for a long weekend.

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About Ian Casselberry

Ian is a writer, editor, and podcaster. You can find his work at Awful Announcing and The Comeback. He's written for Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation.

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