Epstein & Son: You Got Punked

UPDATE: Apparently Theo may have pulled a fast one on Sports Illustrated, the media in general, bloggers and myself. A story at Boston.com reports that the "Theo at Nathan's" was a rouse spurred by Epstein's father.

‘‘[I’m] following the lead of my father and uncle -- some day I’ll give you a list of their gags,’’ he said in an e-mail today. ‘‘There was once a mean grocer in their neighborhood as kids and they got a friend to dress up in a Western Union uniform and brought him news that he had won the Irish Sweepstakes. The guy ran into the street and gave away the whole store.’’

Leslie Epstein said he was sworn to secrecy on the actual site of the wedding. Last night, he’d accepted congratulations from a Globe reporter and written: ‘‘We’re very happy for them, of course, but we can’t say much more other than Marie has some strong childhood memories of Coney Island and that’s why we all went down to watch the orthodox rabbi who married them at Nathan’s Famous. It’s amazing the grip that nostalgia has on people.

‘‘Neither Theo or Marie has ever been to Coney Island as far as I know, or has ever tasted a Nathan’s Famous (though I have -- perfectly delicious), and Rabbi Schnitzlebaum slept
undisturbed all day long. In short, not a word of it was meant to be taken seriously.’’

Congratulations to Theo's dad for completing one of the strangest gags of all time. At least we now know where Theo got his misdirecton talents from. Numerous general managers have implied Theo is prone to tampering. Exhibit "A" is the J.D. Drew deal, in which many believe Red Sox officials hinted that Nancy Drew's opting out of his contract may earn him mega-dollars on the free-agent market. The result? A five-year $70 million deal from Boston.