The Red Sox of Old

Former Manger Terry Francona (left) and former GM Theo Epstein (right)

Beer, chicken wings, and video games. These are three common interests for many adult males. They're also apparently very popular among the Red Sox pitching staff.

In a span of merely three weeks, the Boston Red Sox organization has seemingly fallen apart. On the last day of the season the Red Sox blew a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth to the Orioles to concede the wild card to the Tampa Bay Rays. This was just the beginning of heartbreak and anger for Red Sox fans. Just days after loss, the Sox decided to fire acclaimed manager Terry Francona, who led the team to two World Series championships in seven years with the team. Within weeks after Francona left, it was reported that general manager Theo Epstein was leaving to take a new position with the Cubs (now official). 

Now that both men have left the organization, reports have come out from members of the team's management that things had gotten out of control towards the end of the season. Rumors have been flown about saying that Francona was dealing with a divorce and medical problems, possibly leading him to lose control of his team. Evidence of mismanagement arose when a story in the Boston Globe reported that Boston's top three starting pitchers drank beer, ate friend chicken, and played video games on days that they weren't scheduled to pitch. What!?

As a Red Sox fan for most of my life, I've had the fortune of not having to deal with these types of heartbreaking, mind-boggling collapses. They've made it to the playoffs regularly over the past seven years, including two World Series titles. However, prior to 2004, the Red Sox were a franchise built upon suffering and late season mistakes, including not winning the one World Series since 1918. The names synonymous with these breakdowns include Aaron Boone, Grady Little, Bucky Dent, and, most  famously, Bill Buckner. It appears that these days are back.

With the Red Sox season over, reporters and fans of the team continue to look for the scapegoat and ultimate reason for this year's collapse. Some say it's Francona's leadership, others say it's because of a lack of proactive ownership (John Henry). Other reasons include mismanagement of players and player transactions, overpaying for disappointing players (I'm looking at you Carl Crawford and John Lackey), not developing a better farm system, and, of course, the most tried and true excuse: injuries.

No matter what the reason is for Boston's disappointing season (and it's most likely a combination of a few previously mentioned), some serious changes need to be made to this organization. In my opion, the Sox have become similar to the Yankees teams that I've always hated. They spend millions of dollars on mediocre free agents and don't develop the players in their farm system. Instead of paying Carl Crawford $150 million over seven years, let's accumulate some draft picks and look for the next Jacoby Ellsbury, Kevin Youkilis, or Dustin Pedroia. Making quick, rash decisions like Lackey and Crawford will ultimately hurt the Red Sox in the long run. In order for the Red Sox to reclaim their glory, they're going to need to rebuild from the ground up with players and management.

Oh yeah, the two winningest teams from this past season, the Yankees and Phillies, both lost in the first round of the playoffs in glorious fashion. Cheers to another lowly watched World Series.

Written by Josh Brackett

For those interested, here are some more stories about the Red Sox collapse: 

Epstein thanks Red Sox in ad
Jon Lester: Beer drinking "wrong"
Lester: "We're all still good guys"
Henry says he opposed Crawford signing
Varitek: Sox "got along just fine"
Varitek: No drinking in the dugout