David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Mookie Betts Are Not Walking Through That Door!

What does Rick Pitino’s famous rant tell us about the 2026 Red Sox?

Twenty-six years ago today on March 1, 2000, Rick Pitino sat in front of the press after his Celtics lost to the Raptors on a last second shot by Vince Carter. They had just dropped to 23-34 on the season. This was Pitino’s third season as head coach and top executive. He previously went 36-46 in his first season and 19-31 in his second (lockout shortened) season. He resigned on January 8, 2001, with a 102-146 record with the Celtics. Pitino’s full quote on March 1, 2000:

“Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they’re going to be gray and old. What we are is young, exciting, hard-working, and we’re going to improve. People don’t realize that, and as soon as they realize those three guys are not coming through that door, the better this town will be for all of us because there are young guys in that (locker) room playing their asses off. I wish we had $90 million under the salary cap. I wish we could buy the world. We can’t; the only thing we can do is work hard, and all the negativity that’s in this town sucks. I’ve been around when Jim Rice was booed. I’ve been around when Yastrzemski was booed. And it stinks. It makes the greatest town, greatest city in the world, lousy. The only thing that will turn this around is being upbeat and positive like we are in that locker room... and if you think I’m going to succumb to negativity, you’re wrong. You’ve got the wrong guy leading this team.”

It is mostly forgotten that Pitino was responsible for drafting Paul Pierce, who turned into one of the greatest players in Celtics history. A couple of years later, Danny Ainge was installed as general manager and built a team around Pierce that won the 2008 NBA Championship. Pitino’s message to the media and fans that day was that these were not your father’s Celtics, but they were a young, hungry team that wanted to win. Maybe, but other than Pierce and Antoine Walker, there were no players that really moved the needle. They didn’t make the playoffs under Pitino but did return to the Eastern Conference finals the year after he left, with some of his players still on the team.

What does this have to do with the 2026 Red Sox? Pitching should be a strength, but the lineup is devoid of star players. Sure, there are some pretty good veterans in Willson Contreras and Jarren Duran. There are also some promising young players such as Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer. All offseason, the media and fans have bemoaned the lack of power in the lineup and questioned Craig Breslow for not adding a proven power bat when there were good options on the market.

I certainly don’t think the 2026 Red Sox are in the same dire straits as the 2000 Celtics, but there are legitimate questions as to how they will score runs. Power is lacking and they have been very bad at situational hitting in recent years. So, without a proven power bat, they will need to manufacture runs with speed and timely hitting. They will need certain players to get on base more consistently. They will need certain players to strike out less. They will need certain players to find their power stroke.

Will Roman Anthony be the Paul Pierce of the 2020s Red Sox? It is certainly a possibility. In a few years, several of these players will go the way of the 2000 Celtics. Trevor Story and Masataka Yoshida will most certainly be gone. So might Jarren Duran, Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, and Aroldis Chapman. The key will be how the Red Sox build around the young core as Ainge did with the 2000s Celtics. He acquired proven stars in Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett. He drafted or traded for young players like Rajon Rondo and Glen Davis. Most importantly, he had an ownership group that wanted to win.

I’m pretty much on record that I don’t feel Craig Breslow is the right executive to build a championship squad. I don’t think he has the vision, savvy, or confidence of his front office. Danny Ainge had an incredible mentor in Red Auerbach. Breslow should also have an incredible mentor in Theo Epstein however, I see no evidence that Epstein has mentored Breslow in any way, which is strange. The lack of a serious offer to Pete Alonso or Kyle Schwarber was strange. The lack of a competitive offer to Alex Bregman was strange. The panic that ensued which led to the Ranger Suarez signing was strange.

I have no idea where the 2026 Red Sox will end up. There are just too many question marks. They could be a 78 win team or a 95 win team. Even if they fall into the latter category, I’m not yet ready to call them championship caliber. There is more work to do on the roster before they fall into that category. Is Craig Breslow the right executive to do it? You can draw your own conclusions.