Quote:
Originally Posted by MIAdragon
I can see Theo also jumping ship here in the next week or two.
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I actually hope he does, because I think he was the bigger part of the problem. If you're going to hold the manager accountable (in this case, a bit unfairly so, IMO) then you have to do the same with the GM. Get a new GM, let him pick his new manager, and get going weeding out the shitheads from the players who actually try hard.
I actually like quite a bit of the team. Pedroia and Youkilis seem like solid clubhouse guys and, when not injured, contribute greatly. Jacoby Ellsbury showed he deserves a big payday. AGon tailed off a bit but still had solid numbers. Crawford they're stuck with, and just have to hope he rebounds. Saltalamacchia can hold the fort until Lavarnway is ready to take it over. I think the end of the line is here for Varitek, as well as Ortiz (and Wakefield, of course). Scutaro's okay until they get someone better. One good hitter puts this lineup back on track, I think. The starting pitching staff is the bigger issue (the consistency of Lester, the health of Buchholz, what to do with Beckett to get him motivated to stay in shape, how to get rid of Lackey ASAP). Relievers can use more depth, although I think they have a keeper in Aceves. They're going to have to re-sign Papelbon, like it or not (even with the blown save in the final game, he'd blown few this season, and Bard clearly isn't ready to even remain the 8th-inning guy let alone the closer).
It's amazing the fine line between winning and losing. If Buchholz was healthy, or Youkilis, or Bard didn't collapse, or Wakefield didn't lose 374 in a row trying to win #200... I mean, they only missed out by ONE freakin' win. If they'd gotten into the playoffs, and somehow won the opening series, all would've been forgiven regarding September and Francona wouldn't now be looking for a job. (Same goes for the Patriots. Belichick was close to being fired in 2000 before Mo Lewis knocked Drew Bledsoe into the hospital. Then after that you had the Tuck Rule Snow Bowl game against Oakland. Then you had Adam Vinatieri's FG to put that game in OT and then win it, plus his FGs making the difference in all three Super Bowls... A few different breaks and, not only is Belichick not looked upon as a genius, but he's probably slogging away in Carolina or Jacksonville or somewhere still trying to get out of Bill Parcells's shadow.)