Francona Apparently Leaving Sox

[Emmz]

So criticising the Sox is trolling?

Yes, bloated payroll. Sox are paying way to much for multiple players, batters and pitches, who are delivering way to little. The Yankees are probably paying too much for A-Rod, but the other high dollar players are delivering.

I never said the Sox have no core to built aroundPedroia and Ells are a good core to build around. They've proven themselves and either would be a good captain. But Gonzo still has a lot to prove as far as contributing when the team needs him.

 

No, coming to a Red Sox board and making two posts that consist of unjust, ridiculous criticisms of the Sox, and calling the Yankees the greatest franchise in sports history is called excessive douchebaggery.

 

Gonzo contributed all year, and is the best hitter on the team.

 

Oh, Yanks getting their value? lulz, Jeter's been overpaid since he started making 20M a year, his WAR this season was 2.3, converted to dollars that's barely over 10M. A-Rod is vastly overpaid, everyone knows that he'll never make his contract again, he's over the hill. Tex has earned his contract 1 out of 3 seasons in New York. I could keep going if you'd like. The only high paid player on the Yankees roster who's completely earning his payday and then some is CC. You don't even want me to discuss the overpaid piece of junk that is AJ Burnett, so please, do us both a favor, and if you're going to compare the Sox to the Yanks, don't talk about bloated payrolls and overpriced players. The Yanks are the undisputed kings of overpaying.

[SoxSport]

I think Epstein hasn't done that great a job the last 8 years--considering the amount of money he has wasted. Neither championships are completely of his own doing, and the last three years they haven't won a playoff game. I don't think Theo has much of a feel for how to establish a team with chemistry. He has gotten into the "throw money at free agents" mode, simply because the money is there. And he thinks he can change players' positions around like checkers on a board.

 

There are better GM options out there. I would go after Billy Beane or John Hart. Hart is an analyst on mlb.com, and clearly has a lot of smarts. Beane was non-committal in the Costas interview when asked if he was interested in going to the Cubs. That plum may be there for the picking, Lucchino.

 

The question is whether the top dogs (Henry/Werner) have enough balls to pull the plug on Theo.

After all, Theo has been left pretty much alone to run the candy store for quite awhile.

[example1]

After all, Theo has been left pretty much alone to run the candy store for quite awhile.

 

If that's the case then it is due simply to a lack of accountability above him. It is absurd to think that LL and TW and JH haven't had any oversight of the "candy store", given that they are dumping hundreds of millions of dollars into it. I don't think that's the case, which is why they aren't anxious to dump him (at least according to Warner, who made that clear at the presser the other day).

[a700hitter]

Theo did a good job of putting finishing touches on the team in 2004 and he made additional fine tunings in 2007, but he is not good at building his own roster. He doesn't have a clue as to how to build a bullpen, and he has not given the team a single horse for the starting rotation.

 

All of our pitchers are pretty much 5-6 inning types, and that would wear on a bullpen. It makes a poor bullpen into a disaster. I thought Lester would be a horse, but this season he regressed with his command. He threw way too many pitches, often in the first inning, so he was forced to routinely leave the pen with 3-4 innings of work. That is not acceptable from a #1. Lester is a good #2, but this team has no #1. Beckett gets gassed after 100 pitches and hangs his curve and leaves the FB over the plate. His conditioning was better this season, but not where it needs to be. He needs a kick in the ass. He showed himself to be a me-first guy to me in 2008. Everyone jumped all-over me when I criticized him for being soft and hypochondriacal. If you remember that he was complaining about some tingling in his fingers from sleeping on his arm. It wasn't affecting his pitching. He was having a very successful season. He expressed concern about his career. The Sox shut him down, had him checked by all their doctors who confirmed it was nothing. They built him a contraption to put his precious arm when he was sleeping. That still wasn't good enough. He was still concerned and wouldn't take the ball. He insisted on going to one of the big arm specialists, Altchek I think. The specialist ran every possible test and concluded that not only wasn't he injured, but that his arm showed much less wear and tear than most pitchers his age. That could be as a result of the pampering. Anyway, after being shutdown for a month in a pennant race, he came back. He was out of pitching condition from being shutdown for a month, so he pulled his oblique and he was useless for the playoffs. That whole thing didn't sit well with me. The docs checked him out and cleared him, but he kept whining that he had to be concerned about his career. Wait a freaking minute, he was under contract for 2 more seasons with the Red Sox and he was already whining about his next contract. He was healthy. He should have been pitching. That was a me-first attitude. people dumped on me for criticizing him. They told me that he should be concerned about his career. My point was that he was healthy and under contract to pitch for the Sox for 2 more years at $10 million/yr. If he blew out his arm the next day, the Sox would owe him $20 million. While he was healthy, he owed it to the Sox to pitch. I have had it with him. His conditioning sucks. He was the one that should have called Lackey on his s***, but instead he took Lackey's side.

 

My recommendation to the FO: Trade Beckett for an every day player. His value will never be higher, and the guy is a dog. Fill his spot with a horse like CJ Wilson.

[example1]

Wow, a700, that's a big paragraph.

 

Theo did a good job of putting finishing touches on the team in 2004 and he made additional fine tunings in 2007' date=' but he is not good at building his own roster. He doesn't have a clue as to how to build a bullpen, and he has not given the team a single horse for the starting rotation. [/quote']

 

You're not going to count it, but Schilling was a horse and had something to do with 2004. Just saying...

 

All of our pitchers are pretty much 5-6 inning types, and that would wear on a bullpen. It makes a poor bullpen into a disaster. I thought Lester would be a horse, but this season he regressed with his command. He threw way too many pitches, often in the first inning, so he was forced to routinely leave the pen with 3-4 innings of work. That is not acceptable from a #1. Lester is a good #2, but this team has no #1. Beckett gets gassed after 100 pitches and hangs his curve and leaves the FB over the plate. His conditioning was better this season, but not where it needs to be. He needs a kick in the ass. He showed himself to be a me-first guy to me in 2008. Everyone jumped all-over me when I criticized him for being soft and hypochondriacal. If you remember that he was complaining about some tingling in his fingers from sleeping on his arm. It wasn't affecting his pitching. He was having a very successful season. He expressed concern about his career. The Sox shut him down, had him checked by all their doctors who confirmed it was nothing. They built him a contraption to put his precious arm when he was sleeping. That still wasn't good enough. He was still concerned and wouldn't take the ball. He insisted on going to one of the big arm specialists, Altchek I think. The specialist ran every possible test and concluded that not only wasn't he injured, but that his arm showed much less wear and tear than most pitchers his age. That could be as a result of the pampering. Anyway, after being shutdown for a month in a pennant race, he came back. He was out of pitching condition from being shutdown for a month, so he pulled his oblique and he was useless for the playoffs. That whole thing didn't sit well with me. The docs checked him out and cleared him, but he kept whining that he had to be concerned about his career. Wait a freaking minute, he was under contract for 2 more seasons with the Red Sox and he was already whining about his next contract. He was healthy. He should have been pitching. That was a me-first attitude. people dumped on me for criticizing him. They told me that he should be concerned about his career. My point was that he was healthy and under contract to pitch for the Sox for 2 more years at $10 million/yr. If he blew out his arm the next day, the Sox would owe him $20 million. While he was healthy, he owed it to the Sox to pitch. I have had it with him. His conditioning sucks. He was the one that should have called Lackey on his s***, but instead he took Lackey's side.

 

My recommendation to the FO: Trade Beckett for an every day player. His value will never be higher, and the guy is a dog. Fill his spot with a horse like CJ Wilson.

 

I agree with everything you write here. That said, Theo got s*** for NOT wanting to do the Beckett trade. Lucchino pulled the trigger on that deal. Theo would have preferred building around Hanley Ramirez. Since that trade, Hanley has been the more valuable player. He's probably also a prima donna so I can't say he would be the clubhouse leader this club needs, but he's a hell of a SS and still in his prime.

 

The only place I disagree with you is that CJ Wilson isn't a horse. He's not Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay or CC Sabathia. He's just not. He's been good for 2 years but he's over 30 and has bad contract written all over him. Maybe for a Lackey-type deal, but we shouldn't be shocked if he provides Lackey-type results accordingly.

 

I still like Mark Buehrle as an option. He's an actual "horse" in that he throws tons of innings, pitches quickly and clearly has had success for many, many years. He also might cost less than a lot of other guys.

 

EDIT: How much worse off would this team be with trading Beckett for an every day player and just singing Buehrle? I think that could still be a really solid club...

[a700hitter]

Wow, a700, that's a big paragraph.

 

 

 

You're not going to count it, but Schilling was a horse and had something to do with 2004. Just saying...

I count big Schill. He was a horse and a winner. I don't think we'll ever find another player who will be willing to put his career on the line by having surgery before a game. He pitched that year from May until the end by taking lydocaine shots in his ankle befor and during the game to numb the pain. Guys just don't do that anymore. We haven't had a horse since big Schill, and it's been a long time.

 

I agree with everything you write here. That said' date=' Theo got s*** for NOT wanting to do the Beckett trade. Lucchino pulled the trigger on that deal. Theo would have preferred building around Hanley Ramirez. Since that trade, Hanley has been the more valuable player. He's probably also a prima donna so I can't say he would be the clubhouse leader this club needs, but he's a hell of a SS and still in his prime. [/quote']Theo would have been wrong. Beckett was what was needed a the time and he brought home the prize. Hanley is a poor defensive SS with a terrible attitude. Thanks but no thanks on him. Without the Beckett trade, we only have 1 Championship. That being said, Beckett is no longer 2007 Beckett and he has not been in top condition in years. He had a really good season. His value is high. It's time to trade him.

The only place I disagree with you is that CJ Wilson isn't a horse. He's not Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay or CC Sabathia. He's just not. He's been good for 2 years but he's over 30 and has bad contract written all over him. Maybe for a Lackey-type deal, but we shouldn't be shocked if he provides Lackey-type results accordingly.

 

I still like Mark Buehrle as an option. He's an actual "horse" in that he throws tons of innings, pitches quickly and clearly has had success for many, many years. He also might cost less than a lot of other guys.

 

EDIT: How much worse off would this team be with trading Beckett for an every day player and just singing Buehrle? I think that could still be a really solid club...

CJ is not Sabathia or Halladay, but the guy has pitched deep into games for 2 years in Texas. That is not easy to do. The Texas heat is a pitcher killer. CJ is a horse, and he will not command $ anywhere near Sabathia or Halladay $.

[dominicanredsox]

That was pretty obvious this year. It's a sign that the team management had become complacent about winning. I'm talking about the front office, too. If they had winning in their gut, Pedey would have had that C on his uniform at the start of the year. And they might have had the stronger clubhouse leadership they lacked.

 

This club has deeper management problems than Tito. Epstein is way overrated. They won his first year in 04 with a team largely built by his predecessor, Dan Duquette. And they won in 07 because they made a trade for Beckett and Lowell when Theo was in his gorilla suit somewhere. A deal he wouldn't have made--even though Hanley R. turned out to be a good player (who could wind up back in Boston next year, by the way).

 

Don't think the FO doesn't remember the gorilla suit. If they had a good alternative to Theo, you might see him go as well. They probably don't.

 

 

hanley back with boston with his attitude problem would be a huge mistake the guy has awesome talent but he'd have alot of maturing to do also depends on the manager FO BRINGS IN.

 

your right about the team being complacent to winning .....i thought the ultimate goal for this team was to start a dynasty.....a winning environment but i feel after the 07 championship the aura changed

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Henley could be the biggest ******* in the world. If he performs to his potential, I'd take him in heartbeat. SS has been a problem in Boston for a while.

 

I'd be interesting to see what kind of lineup would be made with Hanley in it.

[Palodios]

How much worse off would this team be with trading Beckett for an every day player and just singing Buehrle? I think that could still be a really solid club...

 

 

I have actually been thinking long and hard about the possibility of trading Beckett, for many of the same reasons we've been talking about trading Ellsbury. He overperformed in 2011, he is a pretty big injury risk, he has a big name, he costs a ton, and he has serious trade value. With the chemistry issues, and his even-year issues, he may be available this offseason.

[a700hitter]

I have actually been thinking long and hard about the possibility of trading Beckett' date=' for many of the same reasons we've been talking about trading Ellsbury. He overperformed in 2011, he is a pretty big injury risk, he has a big name, he costs a ton, and he has serious trade value. With the chemistry issues, and his even-year issues, he may be available this offseason.[/quote']Beckett has been living off his reputation since 2007. His extension was a huge mistake. The Sox should have gone in the direction of Lee or Halladay. The team should have had a better idea about Beckett's lack of conditioning.

[Palodios]

Beckett has been living off his reputation since 2007. His extension was a huge mistake. The Sox should have gone in the direction of Lee or Halladay. The team should have had a better idea about Beckett's lack of conditioning.

 

The reason Beckett has that reputation is because when he is turned on, he can pitch just as well as any ace in the MLB. The problem is, he only does it on odd years, and for stretches at a time.

[jung]

Gosh Red Sox starting pitching is such a mess.

 

Putting the boozing it up in the clubhouse thing aside for a moment because we don't know which starting pitchers were involved:

 

We have the Lackey situation. Lackey can be moved I believe but we would end up eating at least half his contract.

 

I have posted that I believe the time is right for Beckett because I believe 2012 will be a tough year for him but his value is high. I just don't know how many starting pitching positions they can fill in one year ala' the Lackey situation and we have nothing down on the farm.

 

By the way, kudos to you guys that have figured management allowing Theo to talk to the Cubs was as good as done based on the reports being pushed around the media. Would it be a surprise if Theo is offered the job in Chicago that he takes it? Regardless of how involved he has been in helping this become a mess here, I suspect he will have little interest in fixing it if he can get out of Dodge.

[example1]

Beckett has been living off his reputation since 2007. His extension was a huge mistake. The Sox should have gone in the direction of Lee or Halladay. The team should have had a better idea about Beckett's lack of conditioning.

 

Let's just play this one out for a minute...

 

What kind of player do you trade Beckett for? And to what team?

 

My first thought would be that Texas would probably love to have a guy like Beckett, given that they are losing Wilson. So who on their roster or in their minors would possibly justify giving up the team's signed ace to move forward? What positional need could be addressed with a move like this?

 

Suppose they signed Buehrle, but didn't improve the rotation otherwise...

 

Lester

Buchholz

Buehrle

Lackey

Doubront/Aceves?

 

Would a rotation like that be good enough to compete?

 

In theory, it would free up some money so that wouldn't be a bad thing. I guess I just think that losing pitchers is the last thing this team needs right now. Unless they can move Lackey somehow.

 

Also, while I agree that Texas is a hard place to pitch, there's a reason why so many good MLB pitchers come from Texas. You can play there year round and the weather rarely sucks. It is also tough to be a pitcher in the rainy spring of the Northeast, just for different reasons.

[example1]

hanley back with boston with his attitude problem would be a huge mistake the guy has awesome talent but he'd have alot of maturing to do also depends on the manager FO BRINGS IN.

 

your right about the team being complacent to winning .....i thought the ultimate goal for this team was to start a dynasty.....a winning environment but i feel after the 07 championship the aura changed

 

Henley could be the biggest ******* in the world. If he performs to his potential, I'd take him in heartbeat. SS has been a problem in Boston for a while.

 

I'd be interesting to see what kind of lineup would be made with Hanley in it.

 

The discussion was about the Beckett for Hanley trade, not about bringing Hanley back in. Just to be sure you guys were aware of that...

[jung]

There is no question but that the multiple possibilities at SP is part of the problem in that at the end of the day you have to be able to run five guys out there that can pitch. Conventional wisdom holds that if you want to win you have to be able to run one guy out there of the five that is a stopper as invariably you will run into a stretch in the season where you have to stop the bleeding. If you can't do that in the blink of an eye four game losing streaks can turn into eight game losing streaks. Thing is we don't have a stopper now unless Buckholtz once healthy is the stopper. I think we will be able to get five representative bodies out there without Lackey. Not sure if we can work our way to having a true stopper in 2012. That could be OK as "the stopper" may be the guy that you work really hard to come up with committing yourselves to not letting the need go beyond the beginning of the 2013 season.

 

My worry with Beckett is that he is not able to reinvent himself ala a sort of Greg Maddox transformation and suddenly he goes from somebody that we could have gotten value in return for to somebody else that we are just stuck with. He let his conditioning become a problem and has not developed another consistent out pitch as yet. I certainly hope Sox management is telling itself that we have to sit down with Josh and take his temperature so that we can make a judgement about his chances of getting the things done that he needs to get done because that is no longer go home, have a nice off season, come back and do the same thing he did the year before. That is not the case any longer and if the Sox don't think he can get it done here then maybe it is time to give him a chance to do it somewhere else.

[Palodios]

We have the Lackey situation. Lackey can be moved I believe but we would end up eating at least half his contract.

 

Lackey is going absolutely nowhere. People need to stop believing that there is a team out there willing to give any money whatsoever for a guy who had the worst season in baseball, and who is a PR nightmare. He is worth more money on this team than playing for someone else.

[jacksonianmarch]

People need to stop assuming that someone would be willing to pay $5 mil a yr for Lackey. He was the worst starter in baseball this yr. Period. Guys who put up seasons akin to his sign MiLB contracts, so that's a pipe dream. Either the sox release him and eat the whole contract, or they try to right the ship. They kinda have to try at least to get him back to functionality

[RedSoxfanforlife305]

Lackey leaving will not happen. This is real life not MLB the show. Get a clue.

[jung]

Nothing is impossible. What happens with Lackey is entirely an issue of how much contract the Red Sox are willing to eat and how believable a "change of scenery" argument they can make . Had they not mismanaged their assets so badly they would have shut Lackey down at some point or punched him out to the bullpen when it became obvious that he was going nowhere instead of allowing him to continue to compile that awful record. So yes he ends up with the worst stats in baseball for a starting pitcher. However everybody is a sucker for the change of scenery argument at some level because in point of fact so many guys in baseball have changed their careers around via the change of scenery route.

 

The Sox left themselves in the unenviable position of not having a single body that they could run out to the mound and start every 5th game. Theo himself said he should have done something during the course of the season to have brought another pitcher in here. Clearly he is suggesting that at some point in the season there was the opportunity but they did not address it deciding instead to keep running Lackey out there.

 

If you are saying the Sox will not make an effort to explore the possibilities with Lackey I think you are wrong. They may not end up getting something done about Lackey but I do think they will try and I do think it comes down to how much money they are willing to eat. The idea that they are going to just except that the best thing for them is for Lackey to remain on this team next year simply makes no sense. It is simply more mis-management. They may not spend much time with the topic. They may decide very quickly that there is no way out but making no effort what-so-ever would be more management underperformance. Pitchers pitch, batters bat, fielders field and FO personnel work at deals. It is just the job.

 

I would think at this point the only starting pitcher that they will not be willing to discuss moving for the 2012 team might be Buckholtz. There was no indication that the stress fracture was going to develop into something chronic and it simply becomes too difficult to think of your entire starting rotation as in play in any given single year. Lester is probably about in that same category unless there is something they know about Lester that says otherwise.

 

There is just as much chance that they can do something with Lackey as there is that he has not even hit bottom yet and if he has not even hit bottom yet then his worth to this team next year is not known. That is the other unfortunate effect of having continued to run him out there. While still being run out there every 5th day he gave no indication that he had as yet hit bottom. The last start was his most impressive mainly because he put two decent innings back to back, the 3rd and 4th against the Orioles I think. However being that bad actually helps the "change of scenery" argument because part of that argument is there is no chance of him doing better here and boy did the Sox go out of their way to prove that.

[jacksonianmarch]

jung, Lackey was the WORST PITCHER IN THE GAME in 2011. The WORST. He's a douchebag teammate and he's on the wrong side of 30. His stuff sucks, his command sucks, and his body language sucks. There is no reclamation project. Lackey lost his edge when he became a mercenary. Nobody will take him off your hands right now. Either he rectifies his career in Boston or the sox end up eating $50 mil over the next 3 seasons.

[Spitball]

I like the Phillies' bench coach Pete Mackanin. He is a highly respected baseball mind and did an excellent job taking over in an interim role in 2008 for the Reds. He deserved the job but Dusty Baker was given the job.

 

Another thought would be Jason Varitek. I think he might need a few seasons as a coach first, but he will make a good one someday. Former catchers tend to make the best managers.

 

•The Red Sox will consider Phillies coach Pete Mackanin as a managerial candidate, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com-From MLB Trade Rumors

[VA Sox Fan]

Don't agree with all of this and apologize if it's already been mentioned/quoted, some good points IMO:

 

 

For 2011 Red Sox, there was plenty of blame to go around

 

Posted by Tony Massarotti, Globe Staff October 1, 2011 09:17 AM

 

From Bucky Dent to Bill Buckner to Grady Little to this black September, some things never, ever change. When the Red Sox lose, they usually lose big. And the damage is so great that no one escapes unscathed.

 

Terry Francona is gone folks, if for no other reason than that is how professional sports work. The lawyers can word it however they see fit. Francona must take his share of blame for the debacle that was the 2011 Red Sox season, but the Red Sox have endured hard times before. One of the things that seemed to distinguish this regime from the previous ones was that the Sox worked through them together, or so we thought.

 

But now we know the truth: as a manager, you can’t go much more than four full years in Boston without a world title before you get tossed out with the unpopped kernels and cardboard cups.

 

Yet, with Francona gone, there is still a great deal to fix with the Red Sox. They have more issues, not fewer. If Red Sox owners and administrators are truly worried about the culture of the Red Sox clubhouse in the wake of a historic late-season collapse, they too need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Theo Epstein alleged as much on Thursday, and we can only hope now that the Sox live up to their general manager’s words. Sox officials are exceptional when it comes to producing rhetoric, but organizational actions in the last few years have belied whatever garbage they’ve been spewing.

 

The truth? The Red Sox haven’t won a playoff game in three years. When John Henry first bought this team, the Red Sox were passion and a priority for him, the way the Patriots always have been to the Kraft family. They were truly championship-driven. But in the last few years especially, the Red Sox have seemed far more interested in promoting their brand than in truly improving their baseball team, the Sox becoming just another stock in a portfolio that includes Roush Racing and Liverpool.

 

Earth to John: if money is what drives you – and a recent feature from Steve Wulf in ESPN Magazine suggests that it is pretty much the only thing – then sell the team. You might think you’re George Steinbrenner, but you’re not. Big George wanted to win on the field more than he did on the accounting ledger, and he set the tone for his entire organization in the process. Maybe he meddled too much. Maybe he was obsessive. But it never felt as if he were collecting teams and boats as if they were bathtub toys to satisfy his childish needs. The Yankees were his dearest possession and he generally treated them like it.

 

You? You’ve fallen asleep on this team over the last few years as much as anyone else has. Don’t delude yourself about that. The September collapse clearly stirred you from your slumber, as it did all of us, which is the good news. But if the Red Sox are not going to remain a priority for you, then cash out.

 

With regard to the baseball operations, there is also the need for serious reform. Carl Crawford is a good baseball player – certainly a better one than he showed this year – but there was always the feeling that he was signed more for declining TV ratings than anything else. His skill set just doesn’t quite fit with organizational philosophy. The Crawford signing only amplifies the train wreck that has been Epstein’s history of major free agent signings, from J.D. Drew to Julio Lugo to Edgar Renteria to John Lackey. How do you explain that, Theo? Are the Sox relying more on data analysis with pro free agents than they are with amateur players, with whom they have generally been successful? Is ownership intervening because the Sox want TV stars? Or has there been a complete disregard for intangibles like heart and guts, the attributes which the 2011 team so glaringly lacked?

 

Fact: these Red Sox haven’t won a World Series without Manny Ramirez, the lineup centerpiece whom they inherited. For that matter, guys like Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek and Pedro Martinez were inherited, too. The deal for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell was made during Epstein’s temporary resignation in 2005, and there would have been no 2007 title without either. All of this only supports the theory that it takes a great deal to win a championship, from teamwork to luck.

 

And so, with regard to all of the non-uninformed personnel who have had a hand in the deterioration of the Red Sox over the last few years, here’s a sincere tip: stop thinking you’re that much smarter than everyone else. When you get right down to it, none of us knows a darned thing about anything. To some degree, we’re all flying by the seats of our pants. The people in uniform aren’t the only ones who have grown a little too fat.

 

Indeed, as for the majority of players who wore the Red Sox uniform this season, let us say this in no uncertain terms so that there is equal and fair distribution of accountability: you, my friends, are a disgrace. Your apathy and ineptitude got your manager fired. You have become the worst of all things – a pathetic waste of talent – and grossly overpaid ones at that. To a man, you would all be advised to remember that the people you represent are not the ones flying to London for soccer games but rather the ones driving to Boston to fill Fenway Park, and your selfishness this year insulted an entire city and region. In 2011, you were the worst kind of team. You were high-priced losers who didn’t care about anyone but your individual selves, complaining and whining about everything from the travel schedule to National League rules to injuries to the media.

 

I, I, I. Me, me, me. In that vein – an I for an I - you should know that here is what every true Red Sox fan is saying about you this winter:

 

I think you should be ashamed of yourself. I think you have lost your way. I think you have forgotten what it means to be part of a team, to be responsible and accountable to others, to be a member of the Red Sox. I think you got lazy. I think you took your talent for granted. I think you have become entitled and downright gluttonous, and I think you have an entire winter to reflect on the shameful, disgraceful and embarrassing display that was September 2011.

 

And I think, without any reservation, that you need to decide if you are prepared to acknowledge this and give us all so much more.

 

And I think, if you are not, that you should know we do not want you here.

[iortiz]

Don't agree with all of this and apologize if it's already been mentioned/quoted, some good points IMO:

 

 

For 2011 Red Sox, there was plenty of blame to go around

 

Posted by Tony Massarotti, Globe Staff October 1, 2011 09:17 AM

 

From Bucky Dent to Bill Buckner to Grady Little to this black September, some things never, ever change. When the Red Sox lose, they usually lose big. And the damage is so great that no one escapes unscathed.

 

Terry Francona is gone folks, if for no other reason than that is how professional sports work. The lawyers can word it however they see fit. Francona must take his share of blame for the debacle that was the 2011 Red Sox season, but the Red Sox have endured hard times before. One of the things that seemed to distinguish this regime from the previous ones was that the Sox worked through them together, or so we thought.

 

But now we know the truth: as a manager, you can’t go much more than four full years in Boston without a world title before you get tossed out with the unpopped kernels and cardboard cups.

 

Yet, with Francona gone, there is still a great deal to fix with the Red Sox. They have more issues, not fewer. If Red Sox owners and administrators are truly worried about the culture of the Red Sox clubhouse in the wake of a historic late-season collapse, they too need to take a long, hard look in the mirror. Theo Epstein alleged as much on Thursday, and we can only hope now that the Sox live up to their general manager’s words. Sox officials are exceptional when it comes to producing rhetoric, but organizational actions in the last few years have belied whatever garbage they’ve been spewing.

 

The truth? The Red Sox haven’t won a playoff game in three years. When John Henry first bought this team, the Red Sox were passion and a priority for him, the way the Patriots always have been to the Kraft family. They were truly championship-driven. But in the last few years especially, the Red Sox have seemed far more interested in promoting their brand than in truly improving their baseball team, the Sox becoming just another stock in a portfolio that includes Roush Racing and Liverpool.

 

Earth to John: if money is what drives you – and a recent feature from Steve Wulf in ESPN Magazine suggests that it is pretty much the only thing – then sell the team. You might think you’re George Steinbrenner, but you’re not. Big George wanted to win on the field more than he did on the accounting ledger, and he set the tone for his entire organization in the process. Maybe he meddled too much. Maybe he was obsessive. But it never felt as if he were collecting teams and boats as if they were bathtub toys to satisfy his childish needs. The Yankees were his dearest possession and he generally treated them like it.

 

You? You’ve fallen asleep on this team over the last few years as much as anyone else has. Don’t delude yourself about that. The September collapse clearly stirred you from your slumber, as it did all of us, which is the good news. But if the Red Sox are not going to remain a priority for you, then cash out.[/b]

 

With regard to the baseball operations, there is also the need for serious reform. Carl Crawford is a good baseball player – certainly a better one than he showed this year – but there was always the feeling that he was signed more for declining TV ratings than anything else. His skill set just doesn’t quite fit with organizational philosophy. The Crawford signing only amplifies the train wreck that has been Epstein’s history of major free agent signings, from J.D. Drew to Julio Lugo to Edgar Renteria to John Lackey. How do you explain that, Theo? Are the Sox relying more on data analysis with pro free agents than they are with amateur players, with whom they have generally been successful? Is ownership intervening because the Sox want TV stars? Or has there been a complete disregard for intangibles like heart and guts, the attributes which the 2011 team so glaringly lacked?

 

Fact: these Red Sox haven’t won a World Series without Manny Ramirez, the lineup centerpiece whom they inherited. For that matter, guys like Johnny Damon, Jason Varitek and Pedro Martinez were inherited, too. The deal for Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell was made during Epstein’s temporary resignation in 2005, and there would have been no 2007 title without either. All of this only supports the theory that it takes a great deal to win a championship, from teamwork to luck.

 

And so, with regard to all of the non-uninformed personnel who have had a hand in the deterioration of the Red Sox over the last few years, here’s a sincere tip: stop thinking you’re that much smarter than everyone else. When you get right down to it, none of us knows a darned thing about anything. To some degree, we’re all flying by the seats of our pants. The people in uniform aren’t the only ones who have grown a little too fat.

 

Indeed, as for the majority of players who wore the Red Sox uniform this season, let us say this in no uncertain terms so that there is equal and fair distribution of accountability: you, my friends, are a disgrace. Your apathy and ineptitude got your manager fired. You have become the worst of all things – a pathetic waste of talent – and grossly overpaid ones at that. To a man, you would all be advised to remember that the people you represent are not the ones flying to London for soccer games but rather the ones driving to Boston to fill Fenway Park, and your selfishness this year insulted an entire city and region. In 2011, you were the worst kind of team. You were high-priced losers who didn’t care about anyone but your individual selves, complaining and whining about everything from the travel schedule to National League rules to injuries to the media.

 

I, I, I. Me, me, me. In that vein – an I for an I - you should know that here is what every true Red Sox fan is saying about you this winter:

 

I think you should be ashamed of yourself. I think you have lost your way. I think you have forgotten what it means to be part of a team, to be responsible and accountable to others, to be a member of the Red Sox. I think you got lazy. I think you took your talent for granted. I think you have become entitled and downright gluttonous, and I think you have an entire winter to reflect on the shameful, disgraceful and embarrassing display that was September 2011.

 

And I think, without any reservation, that you need to decide if you are prepared to acknowledge this and give us all so much more.

 

And I think, if you are not, that you should know we do not want you here.

 

Ouch!

[SoxSport]

Well, they haven't been lucky at all the past few years.

 

And nobody could match King Steinbrenner in his obsession for winning and limitless resources.

 

Find me a GM who knows how to put a team together with the right chemistry. And keeps it.

Epstein did it. Ainge did it. Then they promptly pissed it away after they won a championship.

They still didn't understand what they had when they had it.

[jung]

MLB Network went through a review of AJ Burnett trying to point out why he struggles so much. The point they were trying to make was that when he pitches from the stretch he does not get on top of the ball nor stay behind it suggesting that as some other pitchers do, he should use some features of his "full wind up" pitch in his "from the stretch" pitch.

 

I don't know why but I do think Lackey's delivery is all over the place. However it is all over the place whether he pitches from full wind up or not. You would think it is fatigue but Lackey will come out some innings and drop his arm which puts his slider right where it should not be and then he will come out an inning later when he should be more fatigued and will be getting on top of the ball and doing a better job of keeping it down.

 

I really did not like Lackey's pitching style for the AL East, even at the point of signing him. Here in 2011 he has been all over the map, death for a guy that must be precise to succeed and he is a control pitcher. He cannot blow the ball past anybody. No idea what it would take to get him going again. The PR is that Lackey cares tremendously about his pitching but boy there are times when it looks like he is just out there throwing and not pitching.

[jacksonianmarch]

Burnett needs to make a decision. He needs to decide whether he's gonna try to hold runners on or get the hitter out. He's in the middle. Too long to hold runners, too short of a windup to stay in control of his pitches.

[jung]

For those watching Tigers/Yankees, can you imagine what we would have been doing if that had been Tito leaving Porcello in to pitch to Tex with Porcello bleeding runs inning after inning, two on two out, left handed hitter against right handed pitcher, one swing away from a 7-1 lead and basically game over.

[VA Sox Fan]

OMG. Just heard Tito is going to replace Tim McCarver in the booth for the first couple of games. McCarver having some minor heart procedure.

 

That'll be wild!

[SoxSport]

Lackey leaving will not happen. This is real life not MLB the show. Get a clue.

 

You must be joking.

 

Lackey is gone.

[jung]

Well not to be misunderstood, I have supported management looking into a means to move Lackey presuming they have some willingness to absorb a big chunk of his contract. We don't know how much contract any team is willing to absorb to move a player and I am sure it varies from team to team and player by player. However it will be very very difficult for the Sox to find a way to move him even given their total salary which might suggest more willingness to absorb some of a contract than some teams might have. It would take all the imagination and FO talent they have plus a ton of JH money to make a deal happen.

 

If folks are thinking that the Sox would absorb Lackey's whole contract and just release him outright, that one you can forget for sure. That is not going to happen under any circumstances. Even the Sox won't just say goodby to $15M per with nothing in return.