''I believe his place in the history of the club is positive and secure," Lucchino said, exhibiting not a whit of the remorse principal owner John W. Henry expressed after Epstein's leave-taking, ''but his departure does not terminate the history of the club."
And so the page is turned, although as a co-author of the story that declared Epstein was staying 11 days ago, I'm reluctant to traffic in absolutes.
This much, however, is almost certainly true: The focus of Red Sox fans already is gradually shifting from Epstein and back onto a team that next spring may bear scant resemblance to the bunch that toasted each other with a champion's champagne just 13 months ago.
Yesterday marked the end of the 15-day period of exclusivity teams enjoy with their own free agents. The Sox re-signed setup man Mike Timlin, but all their other free agents are now in play, including center fielder Johnny Damon, one of the biggest prizes in a flimsy market this winter.
First baseman Kevin Millar, who will probably have to wait until he's retired before disgruntled Sox fans finally recall all the good things he did while he was here, has a better chance of playing in Japan next year than he does in Boston.
Second baseman Tony Graffanino played well after coming over from Kansas City, but the Sox are considering other alternatives while tentatively penciling in a tandem of Alex Cora and rookie Dustin Pedroia.
Third baseman Bill Mueller was the epitome of a winning player while he was here and played Gold Glove-caliber defense last season, but unless he's willing to take a one-year deal, he's probably moving on, too, with Minnesota a possible destination, as Kevin Youkilis gets his chance.
Lefthanded specialist Mike Myers will be asked to come back, but he'll have a menu of options. First baseman John Olerud will be 38 next season and batted .154 over his last 19 games. Reliever Matt Mantei had an ankle injury that cut short his season; the Sox figure to consider healthier options.
