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oversees the “superstructure” of on-field and off-field operations in all major departments, a staff of several hundred, and “a whole panoply of services.”
    He feels blessed to have such an interesting career filled with hard work and the adrenaline rush that comes from “contest living,” a term coined by his mentor, Edward Bennett Williams. An intensely competitive person, Larry channels his energies in the sports management field. “A strong work ethic is part of my DNA,” he remarks. Equally satisfying is the knowledge that his work generates good feelings, not only for Red Sox fans but also in the Boston community.
    In a Boston Magazine article in 2006, writer John Wolfson quoted Larry as saying that he “makes his living in the toy store of life.” Although that sounds frivolous, nothing could be farther from the truth: he is a hard-charging and serious person who is known for getting the facts straight. It just so happens that MLB is conducive to blurring the line between work and play.
    Larry told me that he is proudest of four achievements over his career:
    ■ Breaking the “Curse of the Bambino” in 2004 after an eighty-six-year drought. “It was poetry, really. We came back from being down 3-0 Yankees to win the pennant in a historic manner, then rolled over the Cardinals to win the Series.”
    ■ Camden Yards—the design and building of Oriole Park that set the mark for ballparks. “It produced a sea change in ballpark architecture. After we built a traditional old-fashioned ballpark with modern amenities in Baltimore, twenty-one other ballparks adopted the formula.” And writer George Will, who identified baseball’s three most important achievements in the second half of the twentieth century as Jackie Robinson, free agency, and Camden Yards, seems to agree.
    ■ Preservation and renovation of Fenway Park, and his contribution to the pride, excitement and enjoyment of the everyday people who belong to Red Sox Nation.
    ■ Corporate social responsibility—the Red Sox’ owners using their franchise for charitable purposes, especially in support of the newly created Red Sox Foundation and the Jimmy Fund at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.
    Now sixty-seven years old, Larry thinks that the days of “the proud workaholic” may be behind him. In part this may result from his relatively new status as a family man. He was a confirmed bachelor until 2002, when he married Stacey and became stepfather to her two children. After the Lucchinos moved to Brookline, Massachusetts, Stacey, a former teacher in California, became very involved in community and charitable work on behalf of health and mental health and inner-city schools. Larry is equally committed to community service, particularly expanding and deepening the Red Sox’ ties to the Jimmy Fund. “Dana-Farber Cancer Institute saved my life, and Stacey and I love the Jimmy Fund.”
    Versatile as he is, Larry admits that he does not always maintain a good balance between work and the rest of his life. “I’ve been grappling with that my entire career. I have a twenty-four/seven job that I love, and I love my family and friends. It’s harder than ever to sit still and focus because I am pulled in so many directions. Private life comes in bites and interludes.” As a result, Larry is trying to delegate more. Fortunately, a cadre of very loyal people has been working with him since the Orioles and Padres days. When I suggest that such loyalty is a compliment to him personally, he deflects the compliment by saying, “Baseball is a glamorous business that offers attractive opportunities to people, and Boston is Mecca.”
    To answer my question regarding thoughts of retirement, Larry points to MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who is seventy-nine and still on the job. 3 Similarly, retirement is not presently in the cards for Larry. “I have high standards for myself. I like a bold way of living. If I just sat around, I would probably have