MLB

Theo Epstein’s message to Yale graduates: ‘I’m inspired by your generation’

Gabe Lacques
USA TODAY Sports

Before earning his reputation as one of the greatest baseball executives of all time, Theo Epstein was a stranger in a strange land: A 20-something Ivy League graduate trying to make it in an industry that rarely bucked convention, and honored experience over innovation.

So in a sense, the Chicago Cubs president’s career came full circle over the weekend when he returned to Yale University and delivered the commencement address for the Class of 2017.

Epstein, 43, sprinkled his remarks with the usual platitudes and graduation asides about the occasional too-good time he enjoyed at Yale, but also lent a window into his own evolution as an executive, while also casting an eye on the current political climate.

Via Time magazine, here are a few telling notes in Epstein’s address:

On current events:

“As of last fall, the Cubs had not won a World Series since 1908. Think about that, 1908. That’s the Teddy Roosevelt administration. The Ottoman Empire was still around. Kidding. That’s two world wars ago. Which, I haven’t checked the news since breakfast, just give me one second. (Checks phone off to the side) Good news, that’s still just two world wars ago.”

On an elderly woman asking in 2012 how long the Cubs rebuild would take:

“(She said) I understand why you’re bringing in so many young players. But tell me, exactly when are you planning on winning the World Series? I’m not sure how much time I have left. I was a little taken aback, and all I could think of to say as I put my head back down to walk away was, “Ma’am, I hope you take your vitamins” and walked away.

“That was five years ago but if it happened today I’d probably say, “Ma’am, I hope you don’t have any preexisting conditions.”

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On his 8-year-old son, Jack, and his obsession with win probability while Game 7 of the World Series unfolded:

“As we enjoyed a two-run lead after five innings, he tapped me on the leg. ‘Dad, we have a 67% chance of winning the World Series.’ I know buddy, it’s going well. But remember, it’s baseball. Lots of things can happen.

“Later, we had a three-run lead with just four outs to go. Jack put his arm around me. ‘Dad, we have a 97% chance of winning the World Series.

“I know, buddy, I know. It’s so great, but one batter at a time. We still need four more outs. We don’t want to look too far ahead.”

“But Dad, first time in 108 years!”

Then, after Rajai Davis’ game-tying, eighth inning home run:

“Dad, we definitely have less than a 50% chance of winning the World Series now.”

Of course, the Cubs rallied to win in 10 innings, and Epstein said the impromptu team meeting called by Jason Heyward during a rain delay will continue to be a teachable moment for himself as an executive and father.

It also highlighted his greater willingness to embrace the human element of the game even as his reputation as a team-building genius spread:

“So, early in my career I used to think of players as assets, statistics on a spreadsheet which I could use to project future performance and measure precisely how much they were going to impact our team on the field. I used to think of teams as portfolios, diversified collections of player assets, paid to produce up to their projections to ensure the organization’s success.

“My head had been down. That narrow approach worked for awhile, but it certainly had its limits. I grew and my team-building philosophy grew as well. The truth, as our team proved in Cleveland, is that a player’s character matters. The heartbeat matters. Fears and aspirations matter. The player’s impact on others matters. The willingness to connect, matters. Breaking down cliques and overcoming stereotypes, matters. Who you are how you live among others, that all matters.

“The youngest team in World Series history, six starters under the age of 25, they helped me get my head up.”

Indeed, it was not lost on Epstein that the graduates he was addressing were just a tad younger – if not the same age – as Kris Bryant, Willson Contreras, Kyle Schwarber, Javy Baez, Addison Russell and others. It is a much-maligned generation, but one to which Epstein is forever indebted.

“I am truly inspired by the traits that distinguish your generation: your diversity, your boldness, your optimism, your tolerance, your treatment of others based on substance rather than on the labels that used to divide us. I am so excited to see what lies ahead for you all.

“While there will undoubtedly be times here and there when you have to suck it up, follow that code, put on that suit and tie, I urge you to remember that if you think you look hot, wear it."