Over the course of the winter discussions we had it driven in to us that players performing at this level are the best the world has to offer. I believe that as well. We also heard from some that they don't choke nor do they perform in "clutch" situations any differently than they would under normal circumstances. I don't believe that one. I believe that coaches still can make a difference but to blame this debacle on the backs of this coaching staff I'm not buying. I'm not a big Farrell guy - don't get me wrong - but I don't think that Francona was any better. The people responsible for assembling this team as a whole are the ones who should be sharing the pain with the players here I think. I'm reasonably sure that Farrell would have at least had some involvement when determining who stayed and who went. Players at this level can still be helped by good coaching for sure but no way am I blaming a coach for someone getting picked off base in an important situation or for some moron forgetting how many goddam outs there are in an inning. I think that a coach has a right to expect some degree of intelligence from his athletes. This group is a product of questionable signings without a major consideration for the type of player (as in character) that was being brought in. In 2013, I always wondered about the talent level but I never questioned the mental toughness of the group that was assembled. You always learn more about a person when they are losing as opposed to when they are winning. We are going to learn a lot about this group over the next few weeks. When dealing with rich, spoiled, over rated athletes, I'm not sure that anybody will do a better job than Farrell. This isn't all about baseball issues. Character and mental makeup do in fact count. We have been down this path before with this franchise.