Larry Lucchino leaves a complicated legacy here in Rhode Island

Thinking out loud … while wondering if I put my left shoe on the wrong foot, isn’t that the right foot?

The legacy left behind by Larry Lucchino’s passing this week at age 78 is a complicated one, at least in Rhode Island.Perhaps it can best be described as part of the thrill of victory in New England, while also being represented by the agony of defeat — like ABC-TV’s "Wide World of Sports" program used to relate to us on so many Saturday afternoons in the past.

And this is in no way meant to be disrespectful of Lucchino and what he’s meant to the sport of baseball — including his time spent in Baltimore and San Diego running both of those franchises from 1988 to 2001.

Larry Lucchino is one of the most important people in the history of the Red Sox organization. His outreach and goodwill through charity, using baseball as a backdrop, was unimpeachable.

You can certainly make the case it was Lucchino leading the push to reverse the curse, and to win championships, unlike present-day Sox management. Larry helped create the expectations that many of us hold today. Again, unlike present-day Sox management.

But, see, it’s complicated. Yes, he was a major part of John Henry’s purchase of the Red Sox, serving as CEO from 2002-2015 and overseeing three of four World Series titles brought to our region after an 86-year drought. He brought us Theo Epstein. He refashioned Fenway. He nicknamed the Yankees “the Evil Empire.”

And for that, fans (and media) will forever be thankful for the business acumen and creativity that helped make history happen right here in our backyard.

But when Lucchino stepped away from Boston and began his tenure as active chairman and co-owner of the Pawtucket Red Sox, it began a winding road that ultimately led to the departure of a cherished Rhode Island business entity and tradition for generations of families, also here in our backyard.

Yes, Lucchino was a businessman. Yes, he tried very hard to work with a complicated, confused, obstinate and overly entitled state Legislature, House speaker and governor, all while maintaining visions of what could be for Pawtucket first, then Providence next.

Yes, he tried to save a Rhode Island tradition from leaving us altogether. But business is business.

As we know, that move ultimately happened. Polar Park was built at the other end of the Blackstone Valley, opening in Worcester for the 2021 season, after once-venerable McCoy Stadium was deemed no longer suitable.

As someone who was once employed by former ownership under the late Ben Mondor, and the Pawtucket past for many of us flashed before our eyes, we knew Ben was rolling in his grave when the team moved northward. That was not his vision, as we were often told by him, even if it ultimately became part of Lucchino’s.

It was hard to get past, even if it was understandable. And while life moves on and time does heal most wounds, there has been success in Worcester. But it’s still very easy to wonder “what if?” for Rhode Island, for Pawtucket and Providence, too.

That will also be a part of Larry Lucchino’s legacy, fair or not.

∎I thought West Coast road trips were supposed to go poorly for the Red Sox? Especially season-opening trips?

Sure, the pitching is a pleasant early surprise — 37-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio through the first run of the rotation? Ridiculous. Seems like it was the other way around a year ago. No one could throw a strike when they needed to.If you’re looking for an early catalyst behind this start, let’s consider the teachings and preachings of first-year pitching coach Andrew Bailey. More breaking balls appear to be leading to, well, breaking balls.

∎Not for nothin’, but what was Rafael Devers’ early injury all about? A sign of something else? A message for the masses? All I know is, the Sox lost the two games he missed in Seattle. They’ve won everything else.

∎My buddy, “Big E,” says he works out almost every day. Yesterday, he almost worked out. Today, he almost worked out. Tomorrow, he’ll almost work out.

∎X post of the Week I, from @MatMlodzinski: “Why is the Big East the best? The Final Four starts in [four days] and the number one news in college basketball is rumors of Ed Cooley quitting his job at Georgetown — which, by the way, I’m sure are fake, but it’s still comedy.”

∎It would have been a shock if Devin Carter had decided to do anything but head for the NBA Draft, which he made official this week. Currently 17th on ESPN’s Top 100 draft list (with only 58 drafted), he’ll likely need to move a few slots higher to ensure first-round status. Team workouts and predraft camps await. Great young man, fantastic season.

∎A familiar name and face took part in the college All-Star Game at the Final Four Friday — PC’s Josh Oduro played on the East roster in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All-Star Game.

∎Former Friars manager (under Tim Welsh) and grad assistant coach (under Keno Davis) Hank Plona was named Western Kentucky’s new head coach this week. WKU is also the program once headed by North Providence native and former Friar Ken McDonald, as well as current (and once former) assistant coach Dennis Felton.

∎That PC coaching tree still extends its branches into many places, something I’m certain both Joe Mullaney and Dave Gavitt would be proud to see.

∎Shall we go a-portaling? At midweek, more than 1,300 Division I men’s basketball players (15 from Rhode Island) were looking for new destinations for 2024-25. And not all of them will find ‘em.

∎X post of the Week II, from @MattNorlander: “Every tournament since 2013 has had a 5-seed or worse make the Final Four. An amazing streak of parity. We currently have two 1’s and a 4. NC State is an 11.”

∎Marquette deserved to lose in the Sweet 16 to N.C. State. When you shoot 4-for-31 from three-point range and fail to realize “this ain’t workin’,” you ain’t winnin’.

∎Seedigami! ICYMI, North Carolina State was the first ever 11-seed to beat a 4-seed in NCAA Tournament history.Former URI star player and assistant coach, one-time Woonsocket High School coach, ex-Creighton assistant and current Alabama assistant Preston Murphy cut down the nets with the Crimson Tide players last weekend in reaching the Final Four for the first time.

∎That 30-0 run UConn’s Huskies slapped on Illinois last week was the first such run in a single game for a UConn team in more than 30 years. It was as impressive as it was shocking. It’s hard to put a 30-0 run on another team in football, much less basketball.

∎In case you were wondering, the all-time scoring run for one Division I team against another — it was a 40-0 stretch Ohio University put on Cleveland State in December 2020. But 30 straight on a Big Ten team in the NCAAs? Whoa.

And there was one: The only team to beat Alabama and UConn this year? Creighton. And Creighton lost two of three this season to — Providence. Just sayin’.

∎Now do we think Seton Hall got jobbed by the NCAA Selection Committee? Stupid is as stupid does.East Coast bias? No team west of Waco, Texas, has won the NCAA Tournament since 1997 — and won’t again this year, either.

∎NIL money may start ruining the fun for the little guys if it hasn’t already. How do we know this? The best part of the NCAA Tournament is seeing players from smaller schools beat the big guys. Then the big guys turn around and lure the best players from the little guys to play for them — like Trey Townsend at Oakland. He’s in the portal and reportedly looking at $250K to $300K in NIL deals.

∎Former Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti is the new American Athletic Conference commissioner, replacing the recently retired and brief, one-time Big East commish Mike Aresco at the American. Pernetti ran IMG Academy, IMG College’s broadcast division, was executive vice president of CBS College Sports and was a one-time radio analyst for Rutgers football during their Big East days.

∎Fox is launching the “College Basketball Crown” postseason tournament we mentioned a while back, featuring 16 teams from “power leagues” plus a few other invitees — and will play the entire tourney in Vegas over a week at the end of next March on Fox and FS1 — head-to-head with ESPN, the NIT and the women’s tournament.

∎How about this for "March Madness?” On the women’s side, we witnessed: 1) multiple games played on a floor with inaccurate dimensions; 2) a ref removed from a game because she was an alumna of one of the schools; 3) and a team stayed in Idaho, a state away from their tournament site because there was not enough room at a Washington hotel, and were racially harrassed.

∎And we also had the Iowa-LSU Elite Eight game, the most-watched women’s college basketball game. Like ever. 12.3 million viewers watched the rematch of the national championship won by LSU a year ago. Only this time, Caitlin Clark lit up Angel Reese and the Tigers for a cool 41 big ones.

∎A thrilling finish to the NCAA hockey regional at the AMP last weekend, sending No. 1-ranked Boston College onto the Frozen Four and sending home defending champion Quinnipiac. That it happened in front of the largest crowds among the four regional sites shouldn’t hurt street cred around here, or within the NCAA.

∎Kudos to West Warwick’s David Berard, a former Friar who this week was named head coach at Stonehill. Berard has been an assistant athletic director at PC since leaving Holy Cross as head coach in 2021, and takes over a program that has been 1-38-0 in two seasons since moving into Division I.

∎P-p-playoffs? This will be the 10th straight year (minus COVID) that the P-Bruins will have reached the postseason, and with eight more points over their final eight games, Providence will clinch a first-round bye for a second straight year in the chase for a Calder Cup.

Interested in having your questions on Rhode Island sports (and yes, that includes the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics) answered in a somewhat timely fashion? Think out loud and send your questions, comments and local stories to jrbroadcaster@gmail.com. We’ll share mailbag comments, Facebook posts and threads right here. Join me on Twitter/X, @JRbroadcaster; on Facebook, facebook.com/john.rooke, and on Instagram and Threads @JRbroadcaster.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Larry Lucchino leaves a complicated legacy here in Rhode Island