SoxSport

Maybe they'll throw in a deep dish Chicago pizza.

I don't know how dysfunctional the Sox organization is, but they sure do look like they have gone soft since the 07 Championship season. Especially the last two years. If it weren't for the September collapse this year, the media would have totally ignored the symptoms that were there. All the injuries, for one thing. And Theo spending money like a drunken sailor--on anti-moneyball free agents. The last couple years, the FO looked like it was spending money--just because it was there and had to be spent. Now they are in a situation where they are locked into heavy contracts and have to stop spending. I happen to think they got rid of the major problems--the manager and the GM. Now they have to find the right people to fill the holes. Cherington was probably the right choice--a saber guy Henry/Lucchino could put on a leash. After Theo, that would appear to be necessary. And after some stumbling, maybe they have figured out who they need for a manager. Somebody who is not an apologist for the GM and the players, and who can manage a game on the field. Maybe it's time to put the GM back in its place.

Cherington is where Epstein was when he first became GM in 03. Epstein didn't become independent of Lucchino until after 07. Cherington is not where Epstein was when he left for the Cubs. An important point conveniently overlooked by the media. You can blame the Red Sox for not spelling this out from the start. The manager search has been far too open and public.

Shaughnessy rips the Red Sox in the Globe this morning for being "in chaos." More media bashing. You have to say, though, they could sure use a PR spokesperson. All these management types running around saying disjointed things to the media does not inspire confidence.How about speaking with one voice, guys? Cafardo has a nice column on why the veteran Sox team needs an experienced, leader type of manager. Names he throws out include Valentine, Lamont and Bowa. I've watched Bowa on MLB cable where he's an analyst. He has the moxie, but you wonder how volatile he would be. it could be WWIII with the media, but he is one of them now. Valentine, a friend of LL and a Henry favorite, looks like a sure thing at this point, or it would not have been made public. Cafardo raised an interesting option as pitching coach: Dave Wallace. He still lives in the Boston area, and was the Sox pitching coach when they won in '04. He left in '06 for hip replacement; never came back after Nipper became interim coach. Wallace is a native of Connecticut like Valentine, and was Valentine's pitching coach with the Mets in 2000-02. he has a reputation for keeping pitchers healthy. If Valentine becomes the manager, it's a good bet Wallace will be his pitching coach. He's 64, still young enough to have an impact. I get the impression Cafardo has an "in" with Lucchino.

The media theme of the Red Sox "not listening to their GM" sounds phoney and overly critical. Why should they give so much responsibility to a newbie GM? With such a star-studded team? Did the Cubs? Would the Yankees? Who picked the Cardinals manager? The trouble is, the way the Sox handled it, it LOOKED LIKE Cherington had that responsibility. Plus the Red Sox are so overexposed in the media lately they are bound to get the microscope treatment on everything they do. Looking at the Rosenthal blog, you have to wonder if he is really serious, or just pissing with the wind. Not what you would expect from that guy. Tito doesn't look good at all. Nor does Kenny.

I wonder if they'll hire him immediately after Cherington comes back from the DR. They weren't going to do it this weekend with the GM away. The Globe/Herald may not accept that Cherington is not Epstein in terms of authority--but I think Cherington does. The interesting question is how much input Valentine will have on player procurement, and how LL handles it. The Cardinals may be a good model: they had a young saber-type guy as GM and the older more traditional LaRussa with the big name as manager. That seemed to work out pretty well.

I read this post again from 10/29. I assure you I am not Henry or Lucchino lurking.

You know, it struck me as a odd that the Cubs and Red Sox, two teams far apart in their current state and maybe in need of different types of managers, had practically the same list of managerial candidates.This didn't seem strange at the time, since the Red Sox list was probably compiled before Epstein left Boston, and Cherington is more or less an Epstein clone having worked for him for so long. But it IS strange when you see the teams' needs spelled out in more detail, as they have been lately. The Cubs are obviously a long range project, maybe calling for a young guy with teaching skills for younger players. The Red Sox are a win-now underachieving team of veterans, maybe calling for a manager with more experience and clout. Somebody who can impact right away and who can get performance out of a bunch of stars. Maybe that's what LL and Henry had in mind when they decided to take the reins and go in a different direction from Sveum et al.

Actually, both the Boston and Chicago media don't give a damn about the Sox or the Cubs. All they care about is MAKING A PROFIT. They do it any way they can.

Sure he's LL's assistant--and Hoyer is now Epstein's assistant. Larry needs to spell out his responsibilities now that Theo is gone. He should have been out front in the manager search from the beginning.

I don't think it's a "lack of faith". It's just a reflection that Cherington is not Epstein--he doesn't have the same authority that Epstein received after the 2nd championship in 2007. He is a first year newbie GM who hasn't accomplished anything yet at that level. The Globe and other media outlets have been treating the new manager as Cherington's call--mainly because they regard Cherington as an extension of Epstein. That clearly isn't the case. Who picked the Cubs manager? Was it Epstein or GM Hoyer? No doubt there. Epstein and Lucchino, by the way, are now at the same level. Too bad the Red Sox didn't spell this out from the beginning of the search. That's where Henry and Lucchino fumbled the ball. Maybe they hadn't yet formulated in their minds the kind of manager they wanted--as opposed to the kind of manager the FO wanted. They let the FO put together the list--with predictable results. But there were other "name" guys they were contacting as well--out of the media spotlight. The whole damn thing should have been done out of the spotlight.

Valentine has a good handle on Japanese players. He never liked Dice-K. You look at Valentine's background and makeup, and the fact that Henry favored him, you wonder why they went through that whole stupid interview process. He profiles like the guy they need. I would trust Henry. He has built two championship teams--in Miami and Boston.

Pass on the Cuban kid. The 20 minute You-tube is the tipoff. Pass on Papi? Tough call. He and Berkman had unreal years. Maybe losing weight did it. You just don't know.

Hey, anybody can do that job with a 100 million bucks to work with. There's a hell of a lot tougher jobs out there for a lot less money. Theo, Ben and the rest of them are lucky guys.

My impression is that Epstein deteriorated as GM, especially with his FA moves the last year or two. The Crawford signing was the clincher--something Henry said he did not favor but didn't prevent it. Crawford is really an anti-saber guy. That Epstein would spend so much of Henry's dollars on him was a sign maybe Epstein had changed his ways. And maybe Henry felt it was time for a change. When Henry said publically that he did not favor the signing, he was really telling you why Epstein was gone. You would expect Cherington would not have near as much freedom as Epstein had. Theo didn't get that license until he put on his gorilla suit after a few years. You don't really know what's going on behind the scenes, but you can be sure Cherington is on a short leash as far as spending big money is concerned. And the manager's decision is clearly above him, as it usually is in these situations. It's not the GM's call.The media knows that. The false perceptions created in the "public" portion of the manager search may be a result of having to feed the fans and the media, while the real business was going on in private. Ideally, the whole thing should have been private. In the least, it was not fair to the guys being interviewed. My guess is there is a bench coach in there somewhere among those interviewed. Probably Lamont or Lovullo. Mackanin is already a bench coach, which might explain why he is out.Though Alomar is also a bench coach.

Forget that Papi rumor to the Jays. The facebook post turned out to be fake.

Silverman's article in the Herald today seems to indicate there were two manager searches going on at the same time-- one public, involving no-name candidates with little or no ml managing experience, the other in private, involving "name" candidates--experienced ml managers who did not want their names out there "unless they were sure of getting the job." These included LaRussa (he wants to stay retired) and Valentine. Others whose teams denied permission to be interviewed included Farrell and Wallach (Dodger coach). Why Wallach would be denied is a mystery. Cherington was involved in all these discussions, and was the first to interview Valentine. The bold quote above tells me Valentine has the job. It wouldn't be public if that wasn't the case. Like I've said, you have to watch what they do, not what they say. It looks like they faked the media up the middle and went around the end. An old military tactic.

Tonite--on Ortiz' facebook. But confirmation is needed. MLB rumors says he is talking to the Jays.

If you estimate the Sox payroll for next year, it's hard for them to sign any new players and keep Pap and Papi without increasing their payroll beyond $160 mil. Plus they've got Ellsbury to deal with next year. That might explain why they let Pap go, and also Papi--who is rumored to be signing with the Blue Jays. You figure they want to spend their money on Beltran rather than Papi. The Phillies are making tons of money in their new park, and have to keep their fan base happy after flunking out of the playoffs.

I'm hearing Papi is signing with the Blue Jays. That means Beltran to Boston.

If the Sox had had Buchholz the whole season, it would have been an entirely different season. That's what killed them. They had nobody to replace him.

Valentine managed the Rangers for six years and the Mets for six years. He lasted a long time for both teams.

It's a shame. The guy doesn't deserve it. Lucchino and Henry should have made clear the type of manager they were looking for. They were talking backstage to Valentine all along the process.