On August 1, after the game, to the surprise of no one in the organization, the
Boston Globe’s Dan Shaughnessy wrote a brief story about how CEO Larry Lucchino was stepping down. Lucchino, who will turn seventy next month was slowed this offseason by a serious bicycle accident and wanted to reduce his workload. Into the CEO role will step Sam Kennedy whom has long been recognized as the heir apparent.
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At 42, the promotion of Sam Kennedy signals a shift toward a younger leadership for the Red Sox and should be seen as a good development. Kennedy has a long history with Lucchino and with the Red Sox family itself. Kennedy grew up a mile from Fenway Park and was a Brookline High School classmate of Theo Epstein. The local kid graduated from Trinity College in 1995.
After a brief internship in San Diego, Kennedy started working for Lucchino for the San Diego Padres selling corporate sponsorships in 1996. In 2002 when Lucchino joined the Red Sox ownership group, Kennedy followed him to Boston, selling advertising in Fenway Park and developing improvements in the park. Since he is a local kid, he has always favored preserving the park which logically contributed to its development in the city.
Kennedy was instrumental in the development of the Fenway Sports Group with Red Sox ownership and diversifying their business interests. He had a hand in the purchase of Liverpool FC soccer team in England and association with NBA superstar LeBron James. One change that will occur with Kennedy’s ascendance, is that he plans to pull back from being part of baseball operations. Kennedy will take less of a role in decisions on player personnel when he fully assumes Lucchino’s job responsibilities at the end of the season.
Kennedy will have big shoes to fill in Lucchino’s spot, but the Red Sox are confident that Kennedy will more than adequately fill his role and move the team forward with his the skill he has shown in ascending to his position at such a young age. While Lucchino’s legacy will not be forgotten, Red Sox Nation is getting a strong leader for the team to win many more World Series titles going forward.
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