I was at the “Going to Bat for Vermont Farmers” fundraiser put by ESPN's baseball reporter Buster Olney at Vermont Technical College in Randolph Center on Saturday.
There wasn't enough room in my news story that appears elsewhere in this issue about the baseball part of the evening and how, for one night in a little town in Vermont, you had Brian Cashman, Theo Epstein, and Neal Huntington talking baseball and taking questions from the audience for about 90 minutes.
But that's what this column is for.
Clearly, Epstein was the big attraction at the event, which drew more than 700 people. His departure from the Boston Red Sox following their epic September collapse had plenty of people asking questions about what happened. During an interview with reporters before the event, he was asked if he'd still be in Boston had the Sox ended up in the playoffs.
“Who knows how things would have played out? I think it's impossible to answer that,” he said. “I was looking for a new challenge, and the timing shifted.”
Epstein, who is now president of the Chicago Cubs, said that reports of Red Sox starting pitchers drinking beer, eating fried chicken, and playing video games in the clubhouse during games was way overblown.
“There weren't players getting drunk during games. And it wasn't widespread - it might have been one, two, three guys,” Epstein said. “If you compare the 2011 team to the 2004 team [which won the World Series], they were a bunch of choir boys. The difference is we won the last game in '04.”
But what wasn't overblown was the way that the 2011 team went from having the best record in the American League at the end of August to missing the playoffs altogether.
“How do you describe a death spiral?” Epstein said.
“We knew we had issues going into September [even though] we were on pace for 100 wins. We just couldn't stop the bleeding,” he said.
“A lot of things happened at the same time,” he continued. “We lost a few key guys to injury, a few guys had a significant downturn in their performance, and all of a sudden we looked up and we didn't have enough pitching.”
Cashman, who just signed a new three-year extension to continue as the New York Yankees' general manager, said he had little reason to take pleasure in the Red Sox's misfortune, considering the Yankees were knocked out by the Tigers in the first round of the playoffs despite having the largest payroll in Major League Baseball.
He told the audience not to expect big changes in the Bronx during the offseason.
“We've gotten better at adding patience into the franchise,” he said. “I'm pretty happy with our offense. I don't feel any need to make changes there. But I'm not satisfied with where we are, pitching-wise.”
“We're the Yankees,” he said. “We're going to get connected to every [free agent] out there. But it will probably be a conservative winter.”
With Epstein gone from Boston, Cashman said he is looking forward to having a more amicable relationship with his former rival.
“We don't really deal with the Red Sox, they don't deal with us. You don't see Yankees and Red Sox doing business too easily,” Cashman said. “Unless it's for something like this.”
When it came to trades that work out as planned, Huntington, the Pittsburgh Pirates' general manager, had a quick example - the 2008 deal that sent Jason Bay to the Red Sox in a three-team deal that sent outfielder Brandon Moss and pitcher Craig Hansen to the Pirates.
Bay was the Pirates' best player, and Huntington said that he thought he was getting two promising young players, in return.
Ultimately, neither Moss nor Hansen panned out.
“I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about that deal,” said Huntington, whose team has suffered through 19 consecutive losing seasons, the longest streak in North American professional sports.
Cashman recalled how, after the 1998 championship season, he decided to trade a young third baseman named Mike Lowell to the Marlins for three hard-throwing pitchers.
After a strong season from the incumbent third baseman, Scott Brosius, Lowell wasn't needed as much as the three pitchers that they got in return.
Except that none of those three pitchers made it to the major league roster, while Lowell went on to lead the Marlins to a championship in 2003 and was a key part of the Red Sox's 2007 championship team.
Epstein was more reticent when it came to singling out one bad trade, but he eventually pointed to a deal in the 2006 season.
Then-catcher Josh Bard, a replacement for Doug Mirabelli, could handle knuckleballer Tim Wakefield. Epstein and his staff rushed to reacquire Mirabelli from the San Diego Padres and gave up pitcher Cla Meredith, who has since blossomed into a strong relief pitcher for the Padres.
Epstein blamed himself for acting hastily, rather than “going through the proper evaluation process.”
As interesting as the hot stove talk was, it took a definite back seat to the reason why Epstein, Cashman, and Huntington were in Randolph Center - raising money for the Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund set up by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and the Vermont Community Foundation.
There is still time to bid on a variety of sports-related items and experiences via the fund's website.
Farewell to the 'Flying Dentist'
Longtime ski jumper Dr. Phil Dunham died last Thursday at his home on Upper Dummerston Road in Brattleboro. He was 88.
Known as “The Flying Dentist,” Dunham was a charter member of the Brattleboro Outing Club and served as its president.
He had been involved with ski jumping for more than 60 years. He was the 1961 Masters National Champion in ski jumping, which was held in Brattleboro, and was a regular competitor in the Fred Harris Memorial Tournament in the 1950s and 1960s. He won the Veteran Class Championship for seven straight years between 1960 and 1967.
“He has done as much for the ski jumping program in Brattleboro as any person has since the beginning of the program,” said local historian Dana Sprague. “Without his contribution to the local ski jumping, the program would not be around today.”
Putney School soccer teams win RVAL championship
Both the Putney School boys' and girls' soccer teams won their respective River Valley Athletic League championships in simultaneous games last Wednesday.
The girls' game against Stoneleigh-Burnham was tied at 1-1 early on. After a tense overtime, the game was decided on penalty kicks. Putney scored two and blocked one to take the title.
The boys had considerably less drama as they took on Hartsbrook for a 3-0 victory. The boys ended an undefeated league season with a 10-0-1 record and a championship.
Adult hockey league needs players
• The Friday Night Adult Hockey League starts a new season on Nov. 18 at the Choukas Rink, in Saxtons River at Vermont Academy. All interested players are encouraged to come check it out.
Players' experience ranges from a couple of years to several decades, and all ages, from mid-teens and up, are welcome to attend.
The group meets from 8-9:30 p.m. on Fridays, with just a few adjustments to the schedule during the season.
The cost is $15 per session or $100 for the entire season, which runs November through February. For more information, call 802-869-2729.
Bill Koch League set for another season
The Putney Ski Club's Bill Koch League has introduced hundreds of area youth to cross-country skiing and racing for more than 30 years
The league provides a supportive environment for parents and children to get outside and enjoy the snow while learning to ski or improving their skills. It includes practices and both competitive and non-competitive events, with the emphasis on having fun with the sport.
Information and sign-up for this season's Bill Koch League will take place at the Putney Public Library on Monday, Dec. 5 from 4 to 6 p.m. Check out the league's website for more information.
Wednesday ski practices run from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. at the Grammar School, from Dec. 7 through late February, snow permitting. Students are welcome to participate as recreational skiers or racers, and kids of all abilities are encouraged to join.
Contact Eric Aho with questions.