NEW YORK — Blaming Terry Francona is a bigger joke than the Red Sox [team stats]’s play in September.
Forcing Francona out and making it look as if it’s his idea to walk would be an even bigger joke than John Lackey’s pitching and Carl Crawford’s contract.
And the official word that Francona told the Red Sox they need a different voice and that the Red Sox agreed, deciding it was best not to exercise the option years of his contract?
Well, let’s put it this way: Both sides have the option to speak the whole truth with different voices. Just don’t bet on it happening. This divorce will be spun, re-spun and by the time everybody is finished the legend of The Day Tito Walked will take on more verses than "Sweet Caroline."
In the meantime, expect poor old worn-out Tito to look awfully fresh and rested when he’s announced as the new manager of the White Sox or Cubs or some major league team in the coming weeks.
Let’s be abundantly clear. The Red Sox gagged 27 deaths in September. Their 7-20 collapse was the greatest in baseball history. Francona, 52, gets his share of that all-time nasty pie. Yet a manager cannot accomplish this alone. He needs an awful lot of help. And in this case, Francona probably ranks, oh, 10th on the list of culprits.
Even the mirror doesn’t want John Lackey to look into it.
Even the most miserly of bankers doesn’t want to count Carl Crawford’s money.
Did Francona convince Jon Lester [stats] and Josh Beckett [stats] to turn from aces to deuces after Labor Day?
Did Francona take a bat to Kevin Youkilis [stats]’ hip and Clay Buchholz’s back?
And how does Theo "The Boy Wonder" Epstein look today? After some of his big-money acquisitions and duct-tape pickups, some would question if that Yale diploma came in a mail order catalog.
If owner John Henry, who injured his neck Friday — no joke — while yachting, added all this up and decided Tito should be finito, according to Boston Globe sources, he deserved to be captain of that sinking ship of fools. The Red Sox have become everything their fans like to say about the Yankees when they have a bad season: Overpaid, over-bloated, self-entitled and panic-stricken.
"It was my decision," Francona told reporters Friday night at a press conference.
Yet when asked if the owners expressed a desire to have him return, he answered, "No."
Discuss among yourselves.
Obviously, it would not be American sports and certainly not Boston sports if somebody’s head wasn’t served on a platter to mollify the angry masses and the manager is always a popular menu choice. Yet the fact that it is Tito’s bald head sitting in the lettuce is almost laughable.
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