Jim's right, this is a great piece. This is the end of the article and to me highlights what I like about what has happened under Theo;

Back in 2002, as Lewis and Beane were collaborating, Epstein worked with Cherington, Craig Shipley, now the senior vice president of player personnel and international scouting, and their fellow whiz kids in the basement of Fenway on a project of their own. There was no established Red Sox Way, so they set out to define it: They began writing a player-development manual. "Everything from bunt plays to how we want our hitters to be selectively aggressive at the plate," Epstein says, "to what requirements we have to be a starting pitcher to how you throw your bullpens—every fundamental and every philosophical idea." They also wrote a companion manual, on scouting, because "what the scouts look for has to match up with your development philosophy."

Those manuals became the foundation for the Red Sox Way. No book or movie is in the works.

Whether or not their approach has been right they have gone after it. In baseball or any other business I want to see an organization that has everyone moving in the same direction. If you are going to run off a cliff, run off it full speed and with your colleagues along side you. If Cherington (assuming) is able to keep the organization functioning on the same game plan I think they'll be fine.

There's a big difference between winging it and seeing what happens. Now let's see what happens.

FYI, I know the 70's Orioles had such a book. I believe the Phillies in the 80's did as well. The Braves of the 90's had one too. There were probably some other teams as well.

Ultimately, the book and organizational philosophy is all about a full commitment to excellence. The Red Sox, despite their September meltdown and their petty backstabbing as people go out the door, have built a model front office and franchise. Anyone who believes the Red Sox are fanatically committed to sabermetrics to the exclusion of all other methods/information is wrong. Anyone who thinks the Red Sox approach is not evolving has an opinion mired in their own dogma, not in reality.

Very good article. Overly positive (particularly given the last few days), but still...

This is all great until "Carmine" starts filling the building with a deadly neurotoxin.

Does Carmine produce the CFBPS projections?

FYI, I know the 70's Orioles had such a book. I believe the Phillies in the 80's did as well. The Braves of the 90's had one too. There were probably some other teams as well.

Buck had one in his Yankee days, I believe he also did one for the D-Backs as well.

I'm curious to see what kind of moves the Red Sox make in the post-Theo era, and how they compare to what Theo does in Chicago.

Just out of curiosity, did Ellsbury beat the CFBPS?

Funny how on the first page is this passage:

Then one day in 2002, a best-selling writer by the name of Michael Lewis walked into the Red Sox offices and knocked the smile right off Epstein's face. Lewis was working on a book about baseball's nascent information age, but Epstein wanted nothing to do with him.

"I can't believe Billy is letting him write this book," he told his colleagues.

Billy Beane, Oakland's general manager, had granted Lewis access to his front-office operations, which meant revealing how the A's were mining information from statistical analysis, a tool used extensively at the time by only the Athletics, Indians, Blue Jays and Red Sox. "He's handing out the blueprint," Epstein told Hoyer.

And then the next six pages are devoted to handing out the blueprint.

Just out of curiosity, did Ellsbury beat the CFBPS?

He compiled an MVP-caliber season faster than the CFBPS could generate a projection.

first time I read it as "Canine."