"In my time as general manager, I gave my entire heart and soul to the organization. During the process leading up to today's decision, I came to the conclusion that I can no longer do so. In the end, my choice is the right one not only for me but for the Red Sox. My affection for the Red Sox did not begin four years ago when I started working here, and it does not end today."

With that, Theo Epstein resigned as General Manager of the Boston Red Sox. This morning, everyone has an opinion on why Epstein left what was, four years ago, his dream job. "He's greedy, and they weren't offering him enough money," some bloggers wrote. "He was tired of walking down the street and being noticed," others claimed. Still others feel that Epstein wanted more power over the future of the team than he was given. It's human nature to want to take sides, so to see Red Sox fans everywhere calling for the heads of CEO/President Larry Lucchino and Globe writer Dan Shaughnessy isn't much of a surprise.

But here's the thing: Theo did not leave the Red Sox for one specific reason, but more for a combination of all of the things summarized above - and more. Likewise, blame for Theo's departure doesn't lay with just one party.

It's no secret that Boston is a tough place to be a professional athlete - especially a member of the Red Sox. The city lives and breathes Red Sox baseball. Privacy is virtually non-existant; win and you'll be lauded everywhere you go, lose and you'll hear about it - often. In a city that loves their own, Theo, born and raised in Brookline, experienced a kind of fame like no GM in Red Sox history. Did this play a part in his decision to leave the club? Probably.

It's also no secret that there had been issues deep within the front office between Epstein and Lucchino. Perhaps Theo didn't feel he had the front office's full support to make the moves that would benefit the team in the future, such as promoting the team's young prospects instead of signing high-paid free agent veterans. Perhaps he resented the front office's negotiating tactics and penchant for using the media to spin stories their way. Did both of those play a part in his decision to leave? Probably.

And then there's the idea that perhaps Theo was just ready for a change. Much has been made recently of his desire to follow in his brother's footsteps and dedicate himself to a cause a bit more socially conscious than building a baseball team. Did this, possibly, play a small part in his decision to leave? Probably.

In the end, none of us will ever really know what prompted Theo to pack up his office on a cold Halloween night. What we do know is that while he isn't the only General Manager capable of building a winning team, his accomplishments will not long be forgotten. Many bloggers are falling over themselves this morning to point out that all Epstein did was inherit a winning team. While he did inherit a powerful brand name and a handful of terrific players, to claim that he inherited a World Series championship caliber team is nothing short of ridiculous. He signed a guy who had been waived by the Minnesota Twins in January of 2003 - a guy by the name of David Ortiz. ''He has a very high ceiling. You're looking at a player with the potential to be a middle-of-the-lineup bat in the big leagues, " Epstein said of Ortiz. He also flew to Arizona to have Thanksgiving dinner with the Schilling family in 2003 and proceeded to convince Curt Schilling, who was deadset against playing in Boston, to sign with the team. That same off-season he signed closer Keith Foulke, who, along with Schilling and Ortiz, played a key role in bringing Boston their first World Series in 86 years. But perhaps the move Epstein will be most remembered for came on July 31, 2004 when he traded Nomar Garciaparra, the face of the franchise and easily the most popular Sox player in years, and brought shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz to Boston. He was villified for weeks in Boston for the unpopular move, but Theo had the last laugh on October 30, 2004, when Cabrera, Mientkiewicz, and the rest of Theo's Boston Red Sox paraded through the streets of Boston with the World Series trophy.

No GM is irreplaceable, but finding someone as charasmatic, intelligent, and well-liked as Epstein will be a challenge. Curt Schilling, David Ortiz, and Terry Francona have publicly expressed their disappointment with Theo's departure. There are countless rumors that Theo was the only member of the front office with whom the players identified, and that Lucchino, specifically, is disliked and distrusted by a majority of the players. These issues all raise key questions, some of which have already been asked by a handful of players: Will it be difficult to find a GM who knows, going in, that he won't hold 100% of the power? Will this affect future free agent's decisions to sign in Boston? Will this stunt the growth of Boston's farm system, something only Epstein seemed concerned with? Will this be the cause of a mass exodus among Theo's staffers?

"My passion for and dedication to the game of baseball remain strong. Although I have no immediate plans, I will embrace this change in my life and look forward with excitement to the future."

At the moment, Red Sox fans wish they could do the same.