When most casual baseball fans are asked to name an MLB general manager, most of them will say Billy Beane, the Oakland Athletics GM who was made famous by the movie "Moneyball. " While Beane is a household name, hardcore baseball followers will immediately name former Boston Red Sox GM, and current Chicago Cubs President, Theo Epstein. Epstein is a polarizing figure in the MLB, as he single handedly turned the Red Sox into the powerhouse and perennial World Series favorite they are today.
In terms of entering the MLB, Epstein's entrance was fairly normal for those trying to land a job with the MLB. Starting with the San Diego Padres public relations department, Epstein was eventually promoted to Director of Baseball Operations, while also working towards his law degree at the same time. After the Padres president left to take the same job over at the Boston Red Sox, Epstein was hired to work under him, and was eventually given the general manager role in 2003 [Din11]. Epstein's entrance into the MLB front office discourse community went against James Paul Gee's belief that people are born into their respective discourse community, as he attended college and worked to get where he was, without any special handouts from those he knew.
After a brief "retirement " from the Red Sox in 2005, Epstein returned to the Red Sox for the 2006 season, again as the general manager and now the executive vice president of baseball operations. This return garnered a lot of attention, as Epstein had previously stated he "no longer had heart for the game, " and "his soul was not fully into the job "[Din11]. This exit and return specifically violated James Paul Gee's stance on saying, because Epstein first declared he no longer had the heart and soul to return to the team, but then returned less than five months later, leading fans to question whether or not Epstein was returning for the money, or whether he had found his love for baseball again.
