Blame It On Tito?

Cries from Red Sox nation are booming across social media waves today. Some are repulsed at the notion that Terry Francona may have managed his last game for the Boston Red Sox. Others are glad that the time may have finally come and are scouting the potential manager market already. I don't stand radically on either side of the spectrum, but I hinted at my feeling in the game day post before the fateful loss to Baltimore. Sorry, Tito. The blame may not be solely on you, but someone's gotta take the hit.

Look. Terry Francona had some great days behind the bench at Fenway. He broke the curse and added another ring in 2007. But Boston is a "what have you done for me lately" town, and Tito has done nothing for us lately. In the past three years, the Sox have played three playoff games. They lost all three, getting swept by the Angels in 2009. 2010 and 2011 were both campaigns that ended short of the postseason. Injuries in 2010? I'll give you that. Maybe not the most talented roster in '09? Fine. But what's the excuse in 2011? I'm not okay with putting it all on injuries this time around. Josh Beckett is a good starter, once an ace. Jon Lester is an ace. John Lackey has been a solid #3 his whole career -- why hasn't he been here? What's the reason for the obvious lack of chemistry and character in the clubhouse? Why are pitchers allowed to slug beers on their off days in the clubhouse? Most of the defenders of Francona are saying that the players didn't show up. They're pinning in on the character not being there. I'm sorry -- maybe I'm missing something -- but what is an MLB manager's job?

Let's think about that guy Bill Belichick. What do I notice about Bill Belichick teams? Even if they aren't always star-studded, even if they aren't in perfect shape, they are always ready to play. Mentally and physically, they are focused and ready. There is no sense of entitlement in that locker room -- every guy knows he needs to go out and earn it. Every guy is accountable. Every guy knows who the boss is, and they are going to do exactly what that boss tells them to do. The result? A cohesive unit. A unit that bonds together, because the coach won't take their antics. A unit that realizes the importance of their coach and would put their hearts on the line to win for him. That's what I see when I see the Patriots and Bill Belichick. A leader who absolutely inspires his bunch to be the best they can be every single night.

So I ask you -- did that culture develop because we got the right players? Did that happen because the players the Pats built a roster with are all intense, focused, hard-working guys who put the team first and buy into the system? Are we that good at assessing character? Or was that system built by the guy up top, molded each day by the man who is monitoring all clubhouse operations as well as the operations on the football field? Speak for yourself, but I can say with absolute certainty that Bill Belichick built that awesome environment. When the environment and chemistry is good, we praise the coach for setting the bar.

That environment, as we can all agree, was horrendous with the 2011 Boston Red Sox. They didn't put their hearts on the line every night. They didn't act as a cohesive unit, having each other's backs when adversity strikes. They weren't mentally or physically ready for the grinds of the critical moments. The environment isn't there. Pitchers can slug beers in the clubhouse knowing that other guys have to work today -- not me. I'm entitled to my day off here. I already did my job, why isn't someone else stepping up? Accountability is nonexistent on this team. It has been for the last three seasons. Sure, you have guys like Pedroia and Papelbon who will admit when they blow it and stress the fact that they need to step up. But I'm talking about the unit as a whole. No one gets held accountable and they sure as hell aren't ready to play every night. They never wore their heart on their sleeve for the skipper.

Maybe you think it's a bad comparison, but I think it correlates pretty well. Why is the coach praised in the case of good chemistry but not held accountable when things go poorly? Why is it not Terry Francona's fault that this team is never ready to play? Is Theo just horrible at judging character? These guys are all shmucks who will never work out, then. That must be it. Belichick doesn't create an amazing team structure -- they just have the right players. The Sox have the wrong ones. Nothing the manager can do there.

Or is that the manager's job? To get his players ready every game, to have them mentally and physically conditioned for any situation, to form a cohesive unit, and to develop a common goal that every guy in that clubhouse will do anything to achieve? To me, that's the manager's job. Joe Maddon has a hell of a lot less talent in that locker room down in Tampa, but he has those guys playing better than the Sox stars. Imagine what he could do to this team? Players are never held accountable and they just go through the motions with this Sox teams. Hell, if a Patriots player ever did what John Lackey does on a regular basis, he'd be cut before he could untie his cleats. That's just a fact.

Long story short, I believe a change was needed. Francona worked well with the Idiots of 2004 and the squad in 2007. Those teams had each other's backs and had great character. He managed the locker room nicely. But it's clear that he has struggled to do the same with this bunch. Is Theo at fault for bringing in players who don't fit in Francona's framework? Maybe. But the past is the past. Gonzalez and Crawford are owed $140 million. You can't just cut them. No starting from scratch. The only path I see here is chipping away at the problem. You gotta find someone who can get these guys to play. You have the raw materials. These players were all very talented and very successful in their previous locations. Why aren't they playing here? Like I said -- an MLB manager has a few jobs. Getting his players to play hard, play smart, and play to the best of their abilities are three of the most critical requirements of the position.

Lately, you've done nothing for me. That's what gets you run out of this town. The Sox have been notoriously forgiving with that topic. We don't give up on guys easily -- we keep them around for what they did. Why is Wake still here? He's been a great player throughout his Sox career. Ditto for Varitek. But why the hell are they still here? They can hardly play the game. There are a few times I can recall the Red Sox dumping someone for a recent failure. Grady Little. Nomar Garciaparra. You guys, thanks for everything -- but you're gone. Funny how both departures quickly translated into our first World Series title.

You can't be afraid to make changes. If Belichick had consecutive losing seasons, I would expect him to be on the hot seat. What have you done for me lately? We want titles now. Tito, you were a great manager at times. But you're not getting the job done. You're not getting these guys to play. Thanks for everything, but we'll find someone who can do the job.

I know some people will harshly disagree with my view, but I encourage to you ask yourself what an MLB manager's job really is. You don't call a play from the playbook on fourth and two. You don't design an inbounds play with 2 seconds left to win on a buzzer beater. You don't construct forechecking schemes and power plays to execute in the third period. You make a lineup, get it ready, and play the game. Make pitching changes and send in pinch hitters. Sac bunts (Tito? Yeah right.) and small ball (Tito? Yeah right.). But the biggest responsibility is having your baseball team ready to play. If you can honestly tell yourself that Tito successfully had his team ready to play, then so be it. You win, I guess. Let me just schedule you a doctor's appointment before you leave.

The future is uncertain. We'll see what happens, I guess.