Mike Silva once looked at this.

Ditto Lisa Swan.

Who do you think would win?

Football legend Bill Walsh used to say that coaches and executives should seek change after 10 years with the same team. The theory is that both the individual and the organization benefit from a change after so much time together. The executive gets rebirth and the energy that comes with a new challenge; the organization gets a fresh perspective, and the chance for true change that comes with new leadership. This idea resonated with me. Although I tried my best to fight it, I couldn’t escape the conclusion that both the Red Sox and I would benefit from a change sometime soon.

With this thought in mind, my assistant general manager, Ben Cherington, and I discussed how best to finish preparing him to take over as general manager, likely after the 2012 season, and how to ensure that the Red Sox could maintain continuity within our talented baseball operations group. Those steps were important for me before I could begin to feel comfortable making a transition. This summer, when ownership and I first discussed Ben as my successor, the Red Sox were stable, thriving, and talented enough in the big leagues and in the farm system to compete as one of the best clubs in baseball this year and for many years to come.

Then, September happened.

All of a sudden, we found ourselves needing to pick a new manager, a decision with long-term implications and one best made by someone who could lead the Red Sox baseball operation for the foreseeable future. Then the Cubs asked permission to interview me. The Cubs – with their passionate fans, dedicated ownership, tradition, and World Series drought – represented the ultimate new challenge and the one team I could imagine working for after such a fulfilling Red Sox experience.

So, knowing my time as the general manager was drawing to an end, I had a decision to make: stay one more year and do my best to conduct the manager’s search under less than ideal circumstances, or recommend the succession plan, allow Ben to run the search process, and join the Cubs. I wrestled with leaving during a time when criticism, deserved and otherwise, surrounded the organization. But Walsh’s words kept popping into my head, and I recalled how important it was for me as a relatively new general manager to bond with Terry Francona during the interview process back in 2003.

I totally agree with the notion that there comes a time when it’s best for the individual and the franchise to move on – after they have been a manager or front office executive for a long time. Too bad the Yankeees and Brian Cashman don’t understand this concept.

Theo Epstein is leaving the Boston Red Sox after a remarkable run that included two World Series championships. He’s joining the Chicago Cubs to see if he can bring success to another team steeped in history and starved for a title.

The 37-year-old Epstein became the president of baseball operations for the Cubs on Friday night after resigning with a year left on his contract as general manager of the Red Sox.

With Epstein at the helm, the Red Sox ended an 86-year World Series championship drought in 2004 and won the title again in 2007.

Cubs fans can only hope he will do the same thing on the North Side where the Cubs are looking for their first title since 1908. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts fired GM Jim Hendry in July after another disappointing season, although Hendry stayed on the job for an extra month.

The teams negotiated for more than a week over compensation the Red Sox would receive for letting Epstein out of his contract. In the end, they decided to put off that issue, saying it would be resolved in the near term.

The Red Sox are expected to announce assistant GM Ben Cherington as Epstein’s replacement. Boston, which collapsed in September and missed the playoffs for a second straight year, must also find a new manager to replace Terry Francona.

One of the first chores in Chicago is the future of manager Mike Quade, who led the team to a 71-91 record in his first full season. He has another year left on his deal.

Various reports say the Cubs are also interested in hiring San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer for that position where he would be reunited with Epstein. They worked together in Boston.

Epstein will reportedly receive a five-year deal worth about $18.5 million to overhaul the baseball side of the Cubs’ front office.

In a joint statement, the teams said they would hold news conferences on Tuesday with the Cubs introducing Epstein and with the Red Sox announcing his successor — likely Cherington.

Remember a few years back when Cashman was upset because some fan sent him an email that said “You’re no Theo Epstein”? I wonder how Brian feels now that Theo is a team president and gets to oversee a G.M. (instead of being one)?

Actually, this is a shame. Because, as I have written in the past, Brian Cashman would be an excellent team president. But, as long as Randy Levine is around, that’s not happening in Yankeeland.

Isn’t it ironic that the Red Sox spent $161 million building a team around the concept of sabermetrics, yet G.M. Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona blame Boston’s epic collapse not on statistics but on the lack of good old team chemistry? Where is the algorithm for that?

Dan Haulman, Lebanon, Pa.

Well said, Dan. Well said.

The Boston Red Sox today issued the following statements regarding the allegation about drinking in the dugout during games in the 2011 season. Additionally, former manager Terry Francona has asked that the team release a statement on his behalf.

JON LESTER: “The accusation that we were drinking in the dugout during games is completely false. Anonymous sources are continuing to provide exaggerated and, in this case, inaccurate information to the media.

JOSH BECKETT: “I cannot let this allegation go without response; enough is enough. I admit that I made mistakes along the way this season, but this has gone too far. To say that we drank in the dugout during the game is not true.”

JOHN LACKEY: “There are things that went on this season that shouldn’t have happened, but this latest rumor is not true, and I felt that it was important to try to stop this from going any further.”

TERRY FRANCONA: “In 32 years of professional baseball, I have never seen someone drinking beer in the dugout.”

PRESIDENT/CEO LARRY LUCCHINO ON BEHALF OF THE BOSTON RED SOX: “Tonight our organization has heard directly from Jon, Josh, John, and former manager Terry Francona. Each has assured us that the allegation that surfaced today about drinking in the dugout during games in 2011 is false, and we accept their statements as honest and factual.

“As we continue our internal examination to fully understand what went wrong in September, 2011, we appreciate these strong and clear statements from our players.

“It is time to look forward and move forward, rather than allow a reckless, unsubstantiated accusation from ‘anonymous sources’ to mislead the public.”

No mention regarding if these statements released by the Red Sox were made at the Cask ‘N Flagon…

Red Sox principal owner John Henry, in an appearance on CBS Radio, said that the signing of outfielder Carl Crawford to a seven-year, $142 million contract was a decision driven purely by baseball rather than concern about declining TV ratings. Indeed, Henry suggested that the Sox were convinced that the drop in NESN ratings was the result of changes to the people meter that measures TV audiences. That being the case, Henry said that the decision to sign Crawford was driven by a desire to improve the competitiveness of his team.

Indeed, Henry made clear that he opposed the signing, but that he deferred to the desire of baseball operations to add a player who could impact the team’s on-field competitiveness.

“[Crawford was] definitely a baseball signing. In fact, anyone involved in the process, anyone in upper management with the Red Sox will tell you that I personally opposed that,” said Henry. “We had plenty of left-handed hitting. I don’t have to go into why. I’ll just tell you that at the time I opposed the deal, but I don’t meddle to the point of making decisions for our baseball team. … It wasn’t a PR move. Neither was the [Adrian] Gonzalez signing.”

…I don’t have to go into why. I’ll just tell you that at the time I opposed the deal, but I don’t meddle to the point of making decisions for our baseball team…

Maybe Crawford was “too street” for ol’ John Henry? And, yes, I’m kidding.

David Ortiz is threatening to go play for the Yankees.

“That’s something I gotta think about. I’ve been here on the Red Sox a long time, and I’ve seen how everything goes down between these two ballclubs,” he said in an interview with ESPN’s Colleen Dominguez. “It’s great from what I hear. It’s a good situation to be involved in. Who doesn’t want to be involved in a great situation where everything goes the right way?”

Ortiz hit .309 with a .953 OPS this season. He had 29 home runs and 96 RBIs. But would the Yankees actually want him? Ortiz turns 36 next month and has played a total of 12 games in the field the last three seasons.

Jorge Posada, a pending free agent who is likely to retire, was the primary DH for the Yankees this season. But in 37-year-old Derek Jeter and 36-year-old Alex Rodriguez, the Yankees have two players who could see increasing time as the DH.

Jeter was the DH 10 times this season, the most in his career. Rodriguez also was the DH 10 times. Mark Teixeira, who will be 32 in April, was the DH nine times.

In addition, the Yankees have young slugger Jesus Montero, a defensively challenged catcher whose primary contribution could be as the DH next season.

As for the Red Sox, Ortiz said was “too much drama.”

“I have been thinking about a lot of things. I don’t know if I want to be part of this drama for next year,” he said.

Someone should tell him that the Yankees already have a #34 with a bad contract…

Maybe Francona will now do a book with Tom Verducci called The Red Sox Years?

How many Red Sox pitchers can you spot in the video?

ESPN Boston baseball analyst Curt Schilling was on ESPN Boston Radio with Adam Jones on Friday afternoon…

[Schilling said,] “The days of the manager running through the clubhouse and turning stuff over and fearing guys into performing is gone in baseball. It’s been gone for a long time. The smarter managers understood it before a lot of the other managers did: You need players that will police themselves and police each other. We always had that here.

“It’s very clear, when you look around this team, you’ve got some guys—the Pedroias, the Ellsburys, the Papelbons, the Variteks—they’re not guys who are going to stand up in the clubhouse. That’s not their makeup. That’s the big piece. You can’t have a guy be that because he’s your best player. You have to have a guy, multiple guys in the clubhouse who do that, regardless of what their batting average or ERA is. That’s the challenge.

“Doug Mirabelli was a tremendous clubhouse presence. He wasn’t an everyday player, but Doug Mirabelli was not afraid to talk to anyone based on their status on the team. Orlando Cabrera’s first week in this clubhouse, he marched back to Manny Ramirez’s locker and, literally, they almost got into a fight because Manny asked himself out of the lineup. Orlando said, ‘Listen, no, you’re playing.’ Mike Lowell, another one. Those guys, I don’t know that they have those guys.”

The Red Sox might as well start from scratch, says Schill, because they’re be [sic] losing the one guy with the makeup to handle that clubhouse.

“I would argue that with this… group of players in this market, that Terry Francona is one of the few guys that can manage this team,” Schilling said. “If you’re going to get rid of him I think you have to blow it all up.”

Schilling also called Adrian Gonzalez’s comments blaming injuries, schedule and “God’s plan” for the team’s collapse “embarrassing” and an example of the type of excuse-making that he doesn’t think is tolerated by Sox fans.

“God’s plan was to put a test in front of him that they did not pass, in my mind,” Schilling said. “Don’t embarrass yourself and disrespect the game, the organization and the fans by making excuses.

Have to admit, I like what Schilling is saying here. And, as much as I love and respect Sabermetrics, this is a huge part of having a winning team, in my opinion, having enough “character” guys on the roster. That was a huge part of why the Yankees did so well from 1996 to 2001. New York had such players in the clubhouse.