Shitcanned

Alex Cora's reign as Red Sox manager is over, and Shank's not entirely happy about it:

It wasn’t Alex Cora’s fault the Red Sox roster stinks, and he shouldn’t have been fired over it

There you go.

The Saturday Night Massacre.

Settling All Family Business.

Officially speaking, the Red Sox are a clown show. They are the Chuck Sullivan-Clive Rush Boston Patriots. They are the San Diego Clippers under Donald Sterling. They are the 21st-century New York Jets.

Where to start?

The Sox fired pretty much everybody last night while the team was in Baltimore, basking in the afterglow of a 17-1 victory over the Orioles — sort of like that dark day in ’65 when they fired their GM on the day that young Dave Morehead pitched a no-hitter. It turns out that Fenway fans chanting, “Sell the team,” and a 10-17 start were too much for owner John Henry and president of baseball ops Craig Breslow to bear.

He was fied in large part because his heart was no longer into the job.

DHL Dan CCXVIII - Change Of Attitude?

Shank believes the recent re-signing of Red Sox skipper Alex Cora just might mean a different direction for the team:

Let’s hope Alex Cora’s deal is a sign that Red Sox are spending again, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while observing that “WAR” has yet to be chiseled on any plaque at Cooperstown …

▪ Alex Cora has agreed to manage the Red Sox through the 2027 season. Cora’s three-year, $21.75 million contract extension was announced by the team Wednesday.

This is great news for Sox fans. Also somewhat surprising. Cora, who would have been a free agent at the end of this season, had stated repeatedly that he would not negotiate once the season started.

This is why four weeks ago I told you to enjoy these final months of Cora because, “There is nothing to indicate he’ll be back next year.” (My finest prediction since “Mavericks in seven.″)

Good for Red Sox ownership to pay close to market rate for a manager who has become the face of the franchise. Former Brewers manager Craig Counsell — with a résumé shy of Cora’s — got $40 million over five years from the Cubs last winter. The Red Sox have responded by making their skipper the second-highest-paid manager in baseball history.

If this does mean the Red Sox are going to start spending again, I think we see the template already - "to pay close to market rate".

DHL Dan CCXIV - Curtains For Cora?

Shank thinks it's the last season for Alex Cora as skipper of the Boston Red Sox:

This sure feels like Alex Cora’s last season with the Red Sox, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while wondering if Brad Stevens has ever smoked a cigar …

▪ Enjoy these final months of Alex Cora managing the Red Sox. There is nothing to indicate he’ll be back next year.

In his sixth season as skipper of the Local Nine, Cora (along with Cleveland’s Stephen Vogt) would be one of my top candidates for Manager of the Year in the American League. After a winter and spring that were anything but “full throttle,” Cora has the depleted Sox over .500 and very much in the running for a diluted wild-card spot. Nobody covets the “illusion of contention” more than Red Sox management, and Cora has his ragtag bunch in the hunt.

He is the face of the franchise and the best thing the Sox have going for them.

And though he won’t come out and say it, he’s also gone. In my opinion.

Cora is in the final year of his contract. No team serious about keeping its manager would allow this. Cora’s value around the game is at an all-time high. He’s young (48), smart, bilingual, and great at team-building with today’s players.

Read on for more reasons Cora won't be here next year, and other thoughts!

DHL Dan CXXVIII - The Management Column

Shank did a column a few days ago that I had no desire to read all weekend, so here you go:

This Red Sox-Guardians series has a great managerial angle to it, and other thoughts

Picked-up pieces while kicking off summer with a bucket of whole-belly fried clams …

▪ Red Sox vs. Guardians in Cleveland this weekend means a chance to see perhaps the two best managers in baseball — probably the two best managers in Red Sox history — going head-to-head for three days.

Hyperbole? Maybe. But name a current manager who consistently does a better job than Terry Francona and Alex Cora. And does anyone think Dick Williams, Joe Cronin, or Bill Carrigan could deal with today’s analytics geeks, stubborn/entitled (anti-vax) ballplayers, and nonstop media obligations that are part of the daily, skull-imploding Boston baseball experience?

Assigning Blame, A Continuing Series

Shank lays the Sox' ALCS Game 1 loss squarely on Alex Cora and Chris Sale:

Alex Cora took a chance by starting Chris Sale in Game 1, but the Sox manager’s luck finally ran out

HOUSTON — Alex Cora could do no wrong. Every move was the right move. Everything worked.

And then he went one step too far. He got cocky and greedy. He thought he could “steal” a game against the Houston Astros (odd phrasing given the history here, but it’s only a figure of speech). He thought he could get away with starting struggling Chris Sale instead of Nate Eovaldi in Game 1 of the ALCS. Cora knew his bullpen was rested and figured that if Sale could just get a few outs, the Sox pen could bring it on home.

It almost worked.

But it did not work. Sale staggered through 2 2/3innings (five hits, one walk, a hit batter, and a wild pitch), then handed a 3-1 lead over to Boston’s well-rested bullpen. It worked for a while, but there simply isn’t enough depth in Boston’s bullpen. Adam Ottavino, Josh Taylor, and Ryan Brasier preserved the lead through the middle innings, but then Tanner Houck and Hansel Robles gave up homers to Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa respectively and the Sox lost the lead. The dam burst in the eighth when Hirokazu Sawamura blew up and the Red Sox were 5-4 losers despite four hits (two more homers!) from Kiké Hernández — the Greatest Player in the History of Baseball.

'It didn't work' - in the sense Shank expects all starting pitchers to throw six innings of one-hit ball with eight strikeouts.

DHL Dan CXL - Pointed Questions For Alex Cora

Shank (finally or otherwise) notices cheating in baseball, and makes the Red Sox manager squirm and evade:

Picked-up pieces while wishing anyone loved me as much as Bill Belichick loves Cam Newton …

▪ Alex Cora is one fine big league manager. It’s great for the Red Sox that he’s back, and New England is excited with the team’s fast start.

We know all about Cora’s baggage. Major League Baseball suspended him for a year for his role in the world champion Houston Astros’ cheating scandal of 2017. Cora’s 2018 world champion Red Sox also were caught and punished by MLB for illegal sign stealing (video room shenanigans).

Now that MLB is cracking down on pitchers for using illegal sticky substances to make the baseball spin, I would think Cora has put his hurlers on notice. More than anyone in the game, Cora can ill afford to be associated with another cheating scandal.

When Cora was asked about this issue at a group Zoom session Wednesday, he said, “I don’t think it’s in the manager’s hands. It think it’s more the players.”

Preemptive throwing of players under the bus, or just deciding not to take that bullet? Here we have the Sox' general manager getting the 'ol Goodyear treatment:

I spoke with Cora one-on-one Friday morning to ask about recommendations he may have made to his pitchers.

“We had a meeting in spring training and Chaim [Bloom] addressed that part,” Cora answered.

Given his personal history, does Cora feel any need to be particularly vigilant on the issue?

“Um … like I said, Chaim talked about it in spring training,” said Cora. “He was very open about it, so now we have to wait for the memo or whatever they are going to do and then we’ll address it again.”

Let me also note - Felger referenced this column in the 2:00 hour of today's Felger & Mazz show. One hand washes the other...

Shank Loves Alex Cora!

Now that the Boston Red Sox are enjoying a good recent run, here's Shank to jump on at least one bandwagon:

It’s clear that rehiring Alex Cora was the right move by the Red Sox

There are still pockets of Red Sox Nation where folks are upset that Alex Cora was brought back to manage. Cora is a convicted cheater, and I’ve heard from dozens of loyal Sox fans who are offended and outraged that the Sox rehired him after he served a one-year MLB suspension for his role in the Astros sign-stealing scandal.

Not me. I can be the pearl-clutching “get off my lawn” guy when it comes to PED users applying for admission to the Baseball Hall of Fame, or John Calipari vacating Final Four appearances, but bringing back Cora to manage was always the best move for the Sox.

A reminder - Shank also called Cora a cheater, just six months ago, and now everything's cool.

Forgive and forget, and / or just win baby?

Alex Cora, Act II

Alex Cora was hired today as the next manager of the Boston Red Sox. Shank devotes a column to it:

A Red Sox fan’s dilemma: Does the return of Alex Cora make you happy or disappointed?

The Red Sox are bringing back Alex Cora to manage for the 2021 season.

How does this make you feel?

Just a reminder - Shank was on both sides of this one.

The Sox made it official Friday, anointing Cora as the 49th manager in team history.

As a Red Sox fan, does this make you happy or disappointed?

It’s been almost six weeks since the Sox fired Ron Roenicke after an uninspired, underperforming team finished in last place in the 60-game pandemic summer of 2020. In this span, Boston baseball boss Chaim Bloom has interviewed at least nine candidates, including Cora. None of the others were former big league managers. None of them were Alex Cora.

From there he goes on in that vein, with nary a hint of prior (dis)agreement.

...

Here’s hoping they play it straight. The Red Sox should just come out and tell everyone, "We believe in second chances. Alex Cora is our guy. He was our guy all along.''

Just say it, live with it, and move forward.

How long do you think the first serious losing streak of Cora's 2021 Red Sox season will need to be before Shank changes his tune once again?

DHL Dan CXII - Alex Cora Watch

Isn't it funny watching Shank ragging on the Red Sox for their role in the 2018 sign-stealing scandal and at the same time pine for the guy at the center of the whole thing?

Picked-up pieces while wondering whether the Patriots and Broncos will actually take the field at Gillette …

▪ News that the Red Sox are bringing back their entire coaching staff, minus Jerry Narron and Craig Bjornson, means one of two things: either Alex Cora is the “new” Red Sox manager or the Sox are going to hire a puppet to carry out the wishes of the nerds in the front office.

Here’s hoping it’s Cora. Meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss makes a lot of sense for the Red Sox. There was a high level of comfort with Cora in the corner office. He worked well with ownership and baseball operations. Players loved him, especially Xander Bogaerts, Christian Vazquez, and Rafael Devers, who are the core of the team. Devers is simply a better ballplayer with Cora in the dugout.

Did Cora take a few liberties with the rule book? He did. But the Red Sox are in no position to stand on principle at this hour. They need a star and they need a proven commodity. Cora is both. With Cora as manager, the Sox also could bring back Ron Roenicke as bench coach. Not the worst idea.

Now that's convenient! I'm sure you know the grab bag of topics follow this one.

Keeping Hope Alive

Shank talks to former Red Sox skipper Alex Cora, currently serving a one year suspension from Major League Baseball for his role in the 2017 Houston Astros sign stealing kerfuffle.

Alex Cora speaks on his suspension, the Red Sox, and if he’ll return to baseball

Alex Cora is serving his one-year suspension from baseball at home in Puerto Rico, hunkering down with his family during the global pandemic, but he has not stopped thinking about baseball.

I spoke with Cora for 15 minutes Thursday afternoon, Cora’s first interview with a Greater Boston media outlet since mid-January when he was canned by the Red Sox after Major League Baseball released the findings of its investigation into the Houston Astros 2017 cheating scandal (Cora was Houston’s bench coach).

Does he want to manage again when he’s first eligible in 2021?

“If this was a regular time and they were playing games, I would say yes,” said Cora. “I would love to be back in 2021 in some capacity. I love managing at the big league level.

“But right now, I’m still kind of like putting my game plan together. It’s not where I want it to be. But obviously with everything that’s going on, with my daughter going into her senior year of high school, we as a family have to see what we want to do.

Shank has mentioned Cora coming back to coach the Red Sox in previous months (color me skeptical), so he keeps that flame lit:

He knows there will be plenty of buzz about him returning to the Red Sox in 2021. Cora’s former bench coach, Ron Roenicke, is Boston’s manager for 2020, but he is working on a one-year deal and may never have a chance to manage if baseball’s owners and players can’t agree on a return plan after the game was halted in March because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Does Cora think another team would hire him to manage?

“I know it’s not going to be easy, as far as people giving me a chance,” he said. “They are going to look back and then they are going to have to make up their minds. But at the end, I’m paying the price.

“I’m embarrassed. I’m sorry for what happened. And we have to move on.

Turn On A Dime Dan, A Continuing Series

In his columns about the Astros / Red Sox cheating scandals, it's amazing to see Shank go from 'ban them all for life' to a complete 180 with this lump of horseshit:

Alex Cora back as manager of the Red Sox? Without ever missing a regular-season game?

It’s far-fetched, but it could happen.

Here’s how:

The short answer - pull something out of his ass!

DHL Dan XCVIII -

In these difficult times of zero live sports entertainment, Shank knows what ought to happen now:

This would be a good time to release the findings on the Red Sox and Patriots investigations

I think he's right on there - clear the deck of past events and concentrate on what kind of baseball season we're going to have this year. The months of April and probably May are scratches, so alternatives can be drawn up.

But you know Shank's got his own angle on things, right?

▪ Now is a perfect time for MLB commissioner Rob Manfred to drop the hammer on the 2018 Red Sox. The commish says that the investigation has been completed, and nobody is really paying attention, so let’s get it over with and get on with our lives.

The Sox’ transgressions are unlikely to be anywhere near Houston’s trash-can cheating of 2017, but they likely weren’t “nothing” as the Sox have claimed. Best to learn of their punishment now. It will allow them to strike “interim” from manager Ron Roenicke’s nameplate, and we’ll finally learn how long MLB plans to bench Alex Cora.

I bolded the massively contradictory parts - Shank wants to have MLB punish the Red Sox, whose owner pays his salary. That's a big bowl of awkward right there, to borrow one of Shank's favorite phrases. He's arguing for the Red Sox to get punished worse than the Houston Astros were punished by MLB (i.e., a slap on the wrist) even though he readily admits the Sox did far less in the transgressions department.

That's enough bullshit for this cat right there. Further punishment, dear reader, can be borne by clicking on that link.

Alex Cora Gets The Ax

Shank just luvs, luvs luvs these 'rise and fall' stories, especially the fall part...

The fall of Alex Cora, one of the most popular managers/head coaches in recent Boston sports history, was swift and stunning.

Just after noon on Monday, Cora was still manager of the Red Sox and the ball club was promoting “Winter Weekend,” where Cora was slated to participate in a “town meeting” with Red Sox owners at an exhibition hall in Springfield.

Just under 32 hours later, Cora was finished in Boston.

Spygate II - Is Alex Cora Getting The Ax?

Generally speaking, it's a time to question Shank when he uses the phrase 'do the right thing', but in light of very recent developments he just might be right here.

Red Sox need to do the right thing and fire Alex Cora

The Red Sox need to fire Alex Cora now. Yesterday, if possible. Don’t wait for MLB to tell you what to do. Just do the right thing.

After speaking with two sources with direct knowledge of the situation, I get a sense that the Sox are going to stand by their man and ride this out. They just love Alex Cora, and we understand that.

But this is not an episode that calls for traditional, media-blaming defiance. This is not the time for the Sox to stick behind their guy. The Red Sox are an important local institution. Firing Cora now, before MLB’s next set of sanctions is issued, before it becomes obvious to everyone that Cora must go, allows the Sox to preserve some institutional dignity and let history record that they did the right thing.

Shank mentions some things that are in the MLB report (which came out yesterday or early this morning) that look pretty bad & incriminating. And when even Pete Rose thinks it's a bad situation, you know the shit's about to hit the fan.

Spygate II - Electric Boogaloo

Didja ever notice when bad news abounds, Shank is all over it? First it was the Patriots losing in the playoffs, which already put a bounce in his step. Now we have yet another late Christmas present for the Shankster:

Throw the book at ’em.

If the new report is accurate — and there is no reason to believe it is not accurate — the Red Sox are an arrogant disgrace.

World champs in 2018? Swell. At this moment, the evidence indicates that when it came to winning the big games, “Our cheaters were better than their cheaters.’’

The 2018 Red Sox were good. They probably didn’t need to cheat to get an edge. But there appears to be ample evidence that they cheated. Just as the Patriots cheated with Spygate in 2007, and most likely again in the Super Bowl-winning season of 2014 during Deflategate.

The Sox of ’18 and the Patriots of most years were better than all the other teams, but that was never good enough. In the spirit of Red Auerbach, the Red Sox and Patriots took it to the next level. They covered all the bases. They uncovered every rock. Even if it made them bottom-feeding cheaters.

Is it just me or do many (if not all) of these cheating allegations vastly overstate whatever competitive advantage you'll get from the specific cheating activity?

No one is going to strip the 2018 Red Sox of their championship banner, but everything from that season is now tainted (do I have to keep saying “if the new report is accurate”?).

Two takeaways - a) I get the clear impression from Shank's tone preceding this sentence he would definitely strip the Sox of that banner if it were up to him. b) Yes, Shank, you do have to keep saying it - it makes you look like less of a jackass if these allegations are proven false.

Last thought - I think Shank was discussing this on Zolak & Bertrand yesterday for the few limited minutes I caught it on the radio. That's classic Shank - talk about it then and do a column on the exact same subject (or vice versa) and since there's no heavy lifting involved, you're not gonna mess up your back!

And if there was ever any doubt about this...

It’s time for Rob Manfred to have his Kenesaw Mountain Landis moment. Eight Men Out. Whatever it takes.

Come down hard, Commish.

Baseball needs to get its game back under control. Time to be harsh. Time to make the punishments hurt.

Ok, one more last thought - Shank is of course referring to the 1919 Chicago White Sox, where eight players threw the World Series and received lifetime bans from baseball. Shank is ridiculously calling for the same level of punishment for people involved in enhanced sign stealing (for lack of a better phrase). It's further ridiculous when you consider the following sentence from this column:

Organic sign-stealing is cool. And fun. Nobody is better at it than Alex Cora.

But Shank wants lifetime bans for a similar behavior? Vastly overstated, this column is.

Swing And A Miss

Not sure how this one got past me; it's four days old, but it's classic Shank!

Alex Cora gets our unofficial vote for rookie of the year

Alex Cora might be Boston’s best “rookie” since Fred Lynn in 1975 or Larry Bird in ’79.

It wasn’t like this for Bill Belichick in Year 1. The Hoodie went 5-11 in his first year as head coach of the Patriots. Red Auerbach? In 1950-51, Auerbach got the Celtics over .500, but they were swept in the first round of the playoffs. Brad Stevens? He didn’t make the playoffs in his first season on the bench.

No Shank column is complete without a Fred Lynn or Larry Bird reference, right?

We don’t know what’s going to happen to Cora’s American League East champs in the playoffs,

This is the same guy who's all but openly rooting for a Red Sox loss in the playoffs all freaking year.

...but he just completed the second-most successful rookie year of managing in the history of major league baseball, winning a whopping 108 games. Only Ralph Houk (109-53 with the 1961 Yankees) won more games than Cora in his first season and Houk had Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford.

Cora has a pretty good roster, too, but nothing like the ’61 Yanks.

The 42-year-old field boss of the Local Nine has been everybody’s favorite since Day 1 in spring training. Players, owners, team staffers, and media members all love him. And fans have spared him the slings and arrows traditionally aimed at any man who sits on the hot seat on the street formerly known as Yawkey Way.

You and I both know what's going to happen should the Red Sox bow out in the first round, don't we?

Pro Tip To Alex Cora

Shank on the last guy he said he would never rip, exactly three years ago today:

I promise never to rip Sandoval for being out of shape or going on the disabled list.

Shank, about fifteen minutes ago:

I promised Alex Cora I’d never rip him. Then fessed up and admitted, “Actually that’s probably a lie.” pic.twitter.com/M6M2zQYuSV

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) October 24, 2017

If / when the Red Sox go on a four game losing streak, that will change suddenly enough.

Shank On The New Red Sox Manager

Alex Cora is the newest manager of the Boston Red Sox. Shank talks to his good friend, former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, about the recent hiring.

LOS ANGELES — Terry Francona managed Alex Cora for 3½ seasons in Boston. He knows that Cora can be a good major league manager in Boston. But he’s reluctant to talk about Cora while Major League Baseball asks the Red Sox, the Astros, and Cora to refrain from commenting during the World Series.

“I told guys on Sunday that I wouldn’t comment on this because of the Boston thing,’’ Francona said from Cleveland Monday. “Just because it’s Boston I don’t need to be sticking my nose in there.’’

OK, then. What about Dave Roberts, I wondered? The manager of the Dodgers has a lot in common with Cora, who is still employed as the Astros’ bench coach for this World Series.

Like Cora, Roberts played for Francona in Boston and won a World Series with the Red Sox. Like Cora, Roberts was one of those “glue” bench players that Francona liked having in his clubhouse. Like Cora, Roberts got his managing job at a young age without having experience in the majors or minors. Like Cora, Roberts was thrust into a major media market with a big payroll and great expectations. Like Cora, Roberts was his franchise’s first minority manager.