Sox could use speedy resolution

In a wide-ranging interview (simulcast by NESN, a Red Sox property) that lasted almost an hour, Henry and club president Larry Lucchino artfully dodged just about every issue.

They wouldn’t even admit that the Chicago Cubs have asked to talk to Epstein, the worst-kept secret since Andy Rooney’s retirement.

With the Sox in overdrive trying to manage the message (Tass News Agency, anyone?), we look for hints and nuance. We got a little of both when Henry veered off course for a moment and said, “I think there’s a certain shelf life in these jobs. You can only be the general manager if you’re sane. You can only be the manager for a certain amount of time. It’s a tremendous pressure-cooker here, 162 games. It’s a long season, and the pressure here is 365 days.’’

I thought I saw Lucchino wince a little when Henry spilled that one. Maybe not.

Since they did not say, “Theo is under contract for another year and we expect him to fulfill that contract and we are not allowing him to talk with other teams,’’ it’s easy to believe that Epstein might be negotiating with the Cubs at this moment.

“There’s a certain protocol in this game,’’ said Henry. “If someone asks permission for a job that’s not lateral, you give permission. That’s just the way it works.’’

The Cubs position is not lateral. In Chicago, Epstein would have a chance to be team president and GM.

Henry and Lucchino made it clear that big decisions on Yawkey Way are done collectively, saying, “It’s not just Theo’’ involved in their managerial search. They went out of their way to mention Theo’s aide-de-camp, Ben Cherington, who was in the Terry Francona summit meeting last Friday and who served as co-GM when Theo abruptly quit six years ago.

“Theo’s the guy now, he’s been the guy,’’ summarized Henry. “We’ve had tremendous success. We fell apart at the end of the season. As Larry expressed, we’re upset about it. No fan could be more upset than I am about the result this year. But he’s done a tremendous job for us over the last eight years.’’