The Love Affair is Over

It’s interesting that it was lesser-known Globe writer Bob Holhler who dug deeply into the Red Sox collapse. His front-page article on October 12, cataloguing many serious problems with the 11 Red Sox, confirmed what many fans had been thinking-the team, led by their three top pitchers, simply quit on the manager.

Using a series of mostly anonymous interviews, Hohler reveal some discouraging facts. The only player who would even admit that the fans were let down was Dustin Pedroia. “That’s what hurt so much,” he was quoted as saying,”that we not only let each other down as players, but we let the city down.”

Hohler reveals a sad fact-besides seeing his players quit, Terry Francona was going through  both a marital separation and some physical problems. That is really no one’s business except his, but it makes the players actions seem even worse. Few took extra batting practice. Some protested schedule changes brought on by rainouts. “The players,” according to Hohler, “accused management of caring more about making money than winning, which marked the first time the team’s executives sensed serious trouble brewing.”

But problems had been coming for a while. Josh Beckett, John Lester, John Lackey and sometimes Clay Bucholz , were apparently drinking beer, ordering out for chicken, and playing video games while their teammates were on the field during contests. Advice by conditioning coach Dave Page was ignored by many players, which may explain why the Big Three posted a combined 6.45 ERA in September; they were simply out of shape. Not one to criticize players, Francona wisely did not lash out in public, even after he left the team.

“In the end, only a few players appeared to remain fully concerned about winning”, writes Hohler. David Ortiz, for years the darling of fans and media alike, openly criticized the club’s pitching selections and profanely questioned unimportant scoring decisions. Kevin Youkilis, Jacoby Ellsbury, Tim Wakefield, captain Jason Varitek, and other veterans were unwilling or unable to help a badly divided clubhouse.

It is also interesting that no journalists wrote about these issues until relatively recently, though they apparently go back at least a year. Were they caught up in the fans’ love affair with the team, dating from 04? Unlikely. Perhaps it is because the writers know less than we think they do. Have huge salaries made players less accessible than they were in Dick Williams’ day? That is more likely.

The departures of Francona and Theo Epstein give the Sox an opportunity to rebuild. These are not the “Cowboy Up” Sox of 04. They are more like the “country-club” groups of the 70’s. But if the right moves are made, things could change. In 1965, Tom Yawkey fired notorious GM Mike Higgins and brought in Dick O’Connell, who one year later hired Williams. The team jumped from ninth place to an Impossible Dream in just one season. It’s maybe time to rebuild a somewhat disappointing farm system and also unload some salaries. Lackey, for one, has to go, but this could be just the start.

There is probably more talent on the team than Williams had in 67. The question is: can the new manager kick some butt like Dick did? It should be someone with that kind of reputation, like Bobby Valentine. One fact remains, however. For now at least, the love affair is over.