Theo Epstein Quotes

We draft mostly high school kids and we have one of the finest, if not the finest, player development programs and coaching staffs and we teach our players the right way to play. We also have a game plan in scouting, and there are certain types of players that we look for.

The young comedians always ask me, 'What's the secret for staying around?' I tell them, 'There is no secret - just stay around. Longevity is the most important thing.'

For me, the most important thing is running a good clubhouse. The X's and the O's - you sit up in the stands and, for the most part, a lot of fans go to the game and they know what's going to happen. You're going to hit and run, steal, put a pitcher in, take a pitcher out.

If you identify those guys - something we have done in the past - who are not as valued in the current market for whatever reason and you look to get them to play at a higher level than where they have come from. That's how you develop the team.

When you're a general manager, you don't get to see every single player, so you have to rely on your scouts.

Sometimes it takes a few years to land that special player.

Look, I loved working in baseball.

I think, as a coach, you've got to do what your players can do.

My job is to bring in players I think can help this team, regardless of where they're playing.

The big thing is to win, but to look at the long-term, you need one way to play, and the philosophy is not only to put 11 players on the pitch and play football.

I adapt my idea of football to my players, not adapt my players in my idea of football. It's important because there are others players that must play. The players are the most important things in football. I adapt my idea within my players.

I'm a good special teams coach, and I can recruit.

Arsene Wenger was always the kind of manager whose belief in his team's qualities was steady as a rock and who approached matters with never-ending patience.

I think when a new manager who has a specific way of playing comes to any league, he doesn't think about adapting but rather looks for ways to slowly implement his style so it can be developed for years to come.

Any time you get a chance to acquire a really good football player, I'm all about that.

When you get a draft pick right, you should be given full credit.

You have expectations always when you buy players. Mostly, you have positive expectations.

In Germany, young players are given more time, more patience. In England, they prefer to buy already-high-level players rather than spending some time building up a really talented young guy.

Once you identify positional needs, then I think, then, what you do is, you be very selective on how you go about acquiring those players. You have to look at the resources available on how to acquire those players, and then, if you can, go acquire those assets that can best help this team get over the hump.

Like any year, any year with any team, you're always going to look to the draft to help strengthen your roster and free agency.

I tried to listen to way too many voices in my first stint as a head coach. The second time around, I know what I want and how I want to do it.

I understand what sabermetrics get across, and what they're getting across is to keep it simple. Especially for me, as a pitcher, that's something that helps me - finding ways to keep it simple. Numbers can only tell so much.

Whether it's drafting or player development, the ultimate is putting a team together.

Teams want the best players. If the best players come through your academy, you can play.

Every season I think it's right every great team tries to improve the quality of the team.