Second guessing is like second nature for Boston sports fans. Every move a general manager makes is scrutinized, and every plan a coach employs is critiqued. However, recently the front offices for sports teams in the Hub have proven themselves worthy of the trust of New England's fanatic sports fans.
The front offices of the Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and Boston Celtics have all been making incredible moves in recent history. While some of these moves have raised eyebrows at the time of their transaction, the vast majority have proven successful.
Theo Epstein took the helm of one of Boston's most beloved franchises when he was only 28. He immediately came into the organization and mixed things up, moving from the generally accepted policy of having one closer to finish off tight games to a "closer by committee" system, in which different styles can be used in different situations. While this idea did not quite pan out as well as everyone would have liked, the Sox were loaded with a solid bullpen, including important names like Alan Embree and Mike Timlin.
Last year, Epstein made a move that absolutely shocked the northeast for a long period of time; he traded one of the best known Red Sox, Nomar Garciaparra. For weeks, sad faces of children wearing Garciaparra shirts were all over the Boston media. But I think that everyone will now acknowledge, the Sox would not have won the World Series, if Nomar had been in a Boston uniform.
Along with this trade and other deals involving ace Curt Schilling and slugger David Ortiz, Epstein has earned the trust of Boston fans. Whenever the general manager makes a move now, most fans give him the benefit of the doubt.
This trend is not unique to the Red Sox. There is no better front office in all of sports than that of the New England Patriots. The way that Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick build a team is simply amazing.
They have won three Super Bowls out of the last four while sending only eight players to the Pro Bowl in that time. This speaks highly of the way that the team is built. It works as a cohesive unit, instead of just individual players excelling. A result like that can only be attained through a strong front office.
Belichick and Pioli have also become masters of the NFL draft. No one questioned the fact that the Patriots used their only first-round pick to draft an offensive guard. Picking an offensive guard in the first round is a rare occurrence to say the least, but Patriots fans have learned to trust Belichick and Pioli's judgement.
The most recent addition to this "circle of trust" is Danny Ainge. The long-time Boston Celtic icon recently took the reins of the Celtics. His moves since coming to the Celtics have been suspect to say the least. At first his blueprint for the team wasn't clear at all. Ainge has proven that he knows what he's doing by drafting players like Tony Allen, Marcus Banks, Al Jefferson, and Delonte West. He has infused a veteran team with a bunch of young players that can play tight defense and run the court.
The move that really shocked everyone was the recent reacquisition of Antoine Walker. I will be entirely honest; I hated this trade when it was made.
During his first stint with the Celtics, Antoine looked like he had all of the characteristics necessary to be a fantastic player, but he didn't take advantage of them. He was a big, strong guy, but he decided to take three-pointers instead of posting up down low.
The new Antoine was totally different. This new guy likes getting tough down low, rebounding and passing the ball to give the team the best looks at the hoop.
With the run the Celtics have made since reacquiring Walker and the contributions the young players on the team have made, there is no doubt that Danny Ainge knows exactly where he is going with this team.
His recent moves have solidified his position as one of the brilliant members of the trusted Boston team managers.