Farrell Fired

It seemed inevitable, with early and one-sided playoff exits over the past two years. For some reason, Shank seems to have a problem with it:

The Red Sox fired manager-under-siege John Farrell Wednesday. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, sitting at a dais without ownership, provided no explanation for the dismissal of the five-year skipper who won a World Series in 2013 and just finished in first place in back-to-back seasons.

And yet, the move will be almost unanimously applauded by Red Sox Nation.

It’s one of those “only in Boston” things.

It seems like Shank has a little problem with the firing, doesn't it? He then proceeds to reel off the reasons it's justified:

While the Sox were winning 93 games each of the last two seasons, fans fumed about Farrell’s strategic moves. The manager sometimes seemed to panic when the situation called for calm. The game often got too fast for him. His communication skills were challenged by some players.

How many times have we seen Shank bitch about Farrell leaving in Chris Sale over the past couple of weeks?

Farrell demonstrated zero leadership when $217 million ace David Price acted out. He claimed to have no knowledge of what was going on when his players were caught in an electronic-device cheating scandal.

Farrell’s daily press conferences were peppered with annoying corporate-speak. Local sports talk shows and social media platforms called for the manager’s head almost daily.

When the big-payroll, top-talent Red Sox flopped badly in the playoffs for the second straight October, there was little question Farrell would be sacrificed by a front office ever-focused on optics and television ratings (down 15 percent this year).

A ticket-price increase has already been announced for next season. The Red Sox needed to do something after getting pantsed by the Houston Astros in a four-game ALDS. So they gave fans a feel-good moment by firing the manager.

This is typical of Shank, attempting to have it both ways - he tweets out about Farrell leaving Sale in, constantly reminds us of the Red Sox lousy playoff record the past two years, and now he can't even state 'yeah, he should be fired'? Come on.

It Begins

How could I possibly forget this angle? Shank is going to get multiple columns out of the 2017 Red Sox playoff exit.

The chair is hot in the corner office at Fenway. John Farrell could very well be managing his final game when the Red Sox take on the scalding Houston Astros in Game 3 of the ALDS Sunday afternoon on Yawkey Way.

The Fire Farrell chorus (includes me!) is loud and angry in the aftermath of bookend beatings the Sox endured at Minute Maid Park. Boston’s season-ending collapse is bearing remarkable similarity to the fall fold of 2016, and if the Red Sox are routed a third time by the Astros, something has to happen.

This time it might be the manager.

To be fair, I don't think there's any doubt that if the Sox lose this afternoon, Farrell gets the ax.

I Think He's Pissed, McClane!

Shank's upset with Red Sox manager John Farrell over last night's personnel management / mismanagement:

What is Chris Sale doing still in this game?

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 21, 2017

After long inning, Sale back out for 8th in 8-0 game?
Getting to 300 Ks tonight bigger than playoffs?
This is SO Red Sox.
Grady Farrell.

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 21, 2017

What the hell, Manager John? Sale still can get a shutout. Why not send him back out for the ninth?

— Dan Shaughnessy (@Dan_Shaughnessy) September 21, 2017

I'm with Shank on this one - Farrell doesn't have the same in-game savvy that Francoa or Maddon have.

The Obligatory Shit On The Sox Column

I'm willing to bet he was writing this column in the fourth inning.

The fall of the 2016 Red Sox is complete. The Sox were the feel-good story of our summer, but it seems that it all went away when they held their division-clinching toga party in the Bronx after an embarrassing 5-3 walkoff loss at Yankee Stadium Sept. 28.

Since this is Shank, someone needs to be blamed and run out of town. Any guesses?

The Red Sox rightfully won the American League East, sweeping through Baltimore and Tampa, winning 11 straight games during the most critical stretch of September. And then everything stopped. A day after clinching, manager John Farrell “rested” Dustin Pedroia and Mookie Betts and pulled David Ortiz after a couple of at-bats, triggering a losing pattern that carried straight through the playoffs. The Sox lost their way during an interminable series of heartfelt sendoffs for David Ortiz and had nothing left when the championship tournament started last week.
...
The ignominious sweep no doubt will crank up the “Fire Farrell” bandwagon that rolled across New England for much of the spring and summer.

A paragraph later, Shank has a moment of clarity:

It’s certainly not Farrell’s fault that Rick Porcello and David Price spit the bit in their starts in Cleveland. It’s not Farrell’s fault that the Sox — who led the majors with 878 runs — scored seven runs in three games and hit .214 in this series. A team that went 20-24 in one-run games during the regular season lost two more one-run games in the playoffs.

The One Where The CHB Perpetuates Manager Myths

The typical CHB column consists of a very simple formula:

1.  Start with a provocative (read: absurd) lede. 
2.  Give a few supporting details to flesh out the lede. 
3.  Then regurgitate the backstory, relying on as many previously written sentences and "jokes" as you can. 
4.  Take a shot at the management of whichever team you are writing on that day. 
5.  (Optional) Throw in a reference to Larry Bird.

Today's piece follows that formula to a T.

The emphasis (I don't dare say point, since there wasn't one) of the piece is on John Farrell, but as is his milquetoast way, The CHB doesn't say whether Farrell should be fired; only that it's what people are talking about. Naturally, in pursuit of his trite analysis, he leaves out a few important details.

Such as

"After everything that’s happened around here, Farrell knows he’s just one more slump away from the fate that ultimately awaits every man in the corner office at Fenway."

(False. Ralph Houk retired after the 1984 season. You'd think Mr. Curse of the Bambino would know such trivia.)

And "Grady [Little] was buried for one bad decision."

(False. Grady was buried for numerous bad decisions, not the least of which ignoring all the data the team statisticians were coming up with.)

And "How many times do you see a manager/coach fired while his team is still on a path to the playoffs?"

(Often. But under John Henry, it has not happened with the Red Sox; this ownership group has yet to fire a manager mid-season.)

And "Terry Francona's not walking through that door."

(Good. Tito had peaked. It was time for him to go. He had lost control of the clubhouse. Or perhaps The CHB doesn't remember the whole "beer and chicken" fiasco, which would be strange, since he wrote about it endlessly. Still, you'd think The CHB would remember writing about Torey Lovullo and how promising he was when filling in for Farrell over two months last season )

P.S. The Red Sox under Farrell won the 2013 World Series. Guess how many World Series the Indians have won under Tito. Zero. I'll take my chances with Lovullo.

Biting Thoughts on Farrell

The Red Sox have yet to play a single game this spring, but The CHB is already counting down the days to manager John Farrell's dismissal.

The "pressure is building on the 2016 Red Sox," writes the King of All Optimism. "There’s no getting around the fact that there will be inordinate pressure on manager John Farrell at the start of the season. This is what happens when you finish last two years in a row with a top-three payroll."

Actually, there is almost ZERO talk about the Red Sox right now. Two straight last place finishes (and three in four years) tends to lower expectations. Or perhaps The CHB hasn't put down his Bud Light long enough to notice? 

He then compares the current Red Sox outfield to one of the greatest of all-time, saying, "This is not Lynn, Rice, and Evans."

Well no kidding. Neither was the unit that won the 2013 World Series. Here's the OF on the Red Sox WS roster that year: Quintin Berry, Mike Carp, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jonny Gomes, Daniel Nava, Shane Victorino. Someone call Cooperstown, stat.

The Lynn, Rice, Evans trio of the 1970s and early 1980s won two MVPs (and finished in three top 5 in MVP voting nine other times), a Rookie of the Year, 12 Gold Gloves, four Silver Sluggers, and had 17 All Star appearances in Red Sox uniforms. Oh, and one is now in the Hall of Fame (and one more should be).

If that weren't enough, The CHB hypes his "Curse" book. You remember that one, right? He authored a book on why the Red Sox never win the World Series ... just a couple years before they won three in 10 seasons. Ouch!

When It Comes to Red Sox, Shank Knows No 'Off' Season

Call this the bad taste column. The premise is: John Farrell's cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment last season might have saved his job.

For anyone else, it's a moot question. Farrell is the manager, and the team management has never even hinted that they were thinking of firing him.

Given the circumstances, The CHB is uncharacteristically restrained. The snideness is there, mind you, but it's subtle. Interim manager Torey Lovullo went 28-20, we are reminded, meaning perhaps he -- and not the three-time last place finisher Farrell -- should be managing this season. Of course, The CHB would never think of writing that those wins constituted a "garbage time surge." (Oh wait: he did.)

The CHB has been picking this nit for months. Like here. And here. Sadly for all of us, he's just not going to stop.

Nor will he stop playing fast and loose with the facts. Here's a couple samples from today's mail-in job:

Statement: "A lot of Red Sox players were sent packing."

Fact: Every player who appeared in the final game of the 2015 season remains on the 40 man roster as of today, with the exception of third string catcher Sansdy Leon (whom they want to re-sign) and relief pitcher Alexi Ogando. The only other major leaguers who were with the team at the end of 2015 and whom will wear a different uniform this season are starting pitcher Wade Miley and a pair of journeymen pitchers (Craig Breslow and Rich Hill) who combined for 109 innings pitched last year.

Statement: "(Farrell's)bosses spent millions and dealt futures in the pursuit of winning now."

Fact: Those "futures" were blocked, completely. Two middle infielders -- Javier Guerra and 2B Carlos Asuaje -- would be sitting forever behind Red Sox icon Dustin Pedrioa and 22-year old Silver Bat winner Xander Bogaerts. OF Manuel Margot has about a million young outfielders ahead of him and top prospect Andrew Benintendi right behind him. Pitcher Jason Allen is just that -- a minor league pitcher seen as a possible number 3 starter, in other words, Wade Miley.

Spring training can't get here fast enough.

He Came To Bury Them

As the Red Sox wrap up their 2015 season, Shank expands on his douchebag tweet from yesterday (which one? - ed.) and gives his negativity a full column.

CLEVELAND — In an effort to “close that loop’’ and “make sure we protect ourselves,” Red Sox baseball boss Dave Dombrowski announced Sunday that John Farrell will manage the team next season and that Torey Lovullo has signed a two-year extension to remain as bench coach while forfeiting his right to interview for managerial positions for one year.

Swell. The Sox do not intend to replace the skipper who stepped aside in mid-August to undergo treatment for Stage 1 lymphoma. Meanwhile, the Sox have secured the services of Lovullo, the popular interim manager who was at the helm when the team played better (28-20) over the last six weeks of yet another last-place season. If Farrell at any point is not healthy enough to manage, Lovullo will be present and prepared to take over.

All good.

But what if Farrell is healthy and the Sox get off to another bad start? What if things go sour for a prolonged stretch next season? A number of fans and some voices in the media already have made it clear they believe Lovullo deserves the job. Won’t Lovullo’s presence create a massive distraction?

Looking at the time line of his two tweets on the subject (the first being the announcement of the signings, then the douchebag follow-up tweet posted below), it took him a whopping six minutes to think of the best negative angle available to him. What Shank 'accomplishes' with this column is interject his perpetual negativity into these recent signings and keep people talking about the Red Sox and himself. Mission accomplished.

Fantastic Timing, Shank!

Here's Shank with his most recent column, written yesterday around 12:00 PM:

CLEVELAND — Red Sox manager-on-leave John Farrell is still battling cancer, and interim manager Torey Lovullo is likely to be a hot commodity in a few days.

It is a big bowl of awkward.

The Sox finish their season Sunday at Progressive Field against the Indians. That’s when the managerial firings will start around baseball. That’s when Sox boss Dave Dombrowski might start getting calls from folks who want to interview Lovullo.

Lovullo has been the manager since Farrell went on medical leave to be treated for Stage 1 lymphoma Aug. 14. The Sox were a whopping 13 games under .500 when Lovullo took over and have been one of the top teams in baseball since. ASaturday night’s loss, the Sox were 28-19 under Lovullo.

A mere twenty-four hours later:

CLEVELAND — John Farrell will be back as manager of the Red Sox in 2016, the team announced on Sunday.

Bench coach Torey Lovullo, who has managed the team since Farrell took leave to receive treatment for cancer, agreed to a two-year contract and waived the right to pursue any managerial positions for 2016.

My my, that was... awkward!

The moral to this story - if Shank hadn't nuked his bridges with the Red Sox, he would have known this was coming and could have avoided embarrassing himself once again and providing more fodder for us.

A Cancer in the Clubhouse

All of The CHB's hyperventilating and bloviating over the Red Sox goes for naught now that manager John Farrell has been diagnosed with lymphoma.

But never let Shank miss a golden opportunity to revise history. As Roger linked to below, in today's (last night's) piece The CHB surmises, "[E]ven in bad times Farrell has commanded respect and dodged the slings and arrows that traditionally puncture the man in the corner office on Yawkey Way."

Indeed. Just a couple weeks ago, The CHB was referring to Farrell (among others) as one of the "company men ... headed to their third-last place finish in four seasons" and a "subordinate eager to please the bosses".

Slings and arrows 1, respect 0

And The CHB questioned in late June why Farrell still had a job, asking LArry Lucchino, "Why does he have that support? Again, it looks like he’s a company man, who won’t push back and therefore stays on the job."

Slings and arrows 2, respect 0

Oh yes: There's also all the usual background info on Farrell, a CHB staple, as if no one has heard of Wikipedia (which is probably where he gets it all).

The Boston Red Sox have a cancer in their midst all right, but it writes for the Globe.

John Farrell

Red Sox manager John Farrell announced his diagnosis of lymphoma a few hours ago. Shank does the write-up.

Get well soon, John.

Hopefully, Shank's Next Column

It seems that Shank's gleeful series of columns on Deflategate has more or less run its course, which means he can turn his attention to his traditional summertime tradition, shitting on the Red Sox:

Dan Shaughnessy said the team likes playing for manager John Farrell, but suggested that maybe the Red Sox have gotten a bit too comfortable.

"They know their not going to get spanked or humiliated in front of the media," said Shaughnessy. "He's not gonna call them out. When that sort of behavior, effort or complacency is tolerated by the manager, guys like that, they don't have to play that hard… you can mail it in a little bit here because the manager makes it more comfortable for you. That's the issue."

A few hours afterwards, the Red Sox got clobbered 12 - 5 by the Los Angeles Angels, so look for a classic Sox doom & gloomer any day now from His Shankness.

Cooking Up A Blame Pie

Is Shank going soft on the 2014 Red Sox? Where's the vitriol, or does that only apply to ownership and Larry Lucchino upper management?

NEW YORK — Before Wednesday night’s nationally televised Red Sox-Yankees game, John Farrell, manager of the last-place Red Sox, was reminded that the game would determine if he had a winning or a losing record. Despite winning a World Series in Boston in 2013, Farrell’s four-year record as a big league manager was 312 wins and 312 losses.

Smiling at the mention of his symmetrical won-lost record, Farrell asked, “Is that good, bad, or indifferent? It means maybe I don’t have any impact at all.’’

He was kidding, folks. Farrell knows he has a large impact on the fortunes of his ballclub. And like all of you, he knows that 2013 was fantastic and that 2014 is a disaster. Though it’s widely held that the affable manager of the local nine has gotten a free pass in this worst-to-first-to-worst season, Farrell is eating his share of the blame pie.

More like Shank's gently shoving it down his throat.

I get the impression that Shank's using kid gloves in this (and other Farrell) interviews as an angle to co-write another book with a former Red Sox manager when Farrell eventually steps down.

Sinking Ship

The 2014 Boston Red Sox are currently in last place in the A.L. East, so Shank comes out and puts a few more holes in the hull of the ship.

Identifying the low point of this train wreck season has become a parlor game throughout New England: Was it getting swept in the doubleheader at home against the Rays back in May; losing three straight to Tito’s Tribe; the 16-9 beatdown at the hands of Theo’s Cubs last Wednesday; or was it Sunday when the Sox couldn’t finish in 12 innings after rallying from five runs down against the first-place Orioles?

In good times and bad, Farrell has managed the Red Sox without creating any brushfires. He has dealt with highly paid, sometimes selfish and excuse-making players, an aggressive media, loud fans, multiple voices of ownership, in-house stat geeks, and great expectations without making things worse. He has a world championship in his pocket.

Which, of course, isn't good enough for Shank, who once again displays a gleeful attitude in his writing when a team's at its worst.

Baseball's Instant Replay System

... is not currently in favor with Red Sox manager John Farrell:

NEW YORK — Those of us who remember watching Jack Nicholson Five-Star Nutties by Earl Weaver and Billy Martin feared those days might be over with the introduction of manager’s challenges and video replays in 2014.

Not so fast. Red Sox manager John Farrell got into it with first base umpire Bob Davidson Sunday night and was ejected for arguing a reversed call that went against the Sox. The disputed play provided the Yankees with the deciding run in a nationally televised 3-2 victory over the reeling (losers of seven of 10), last-place Red Sox.

Lip readers were pretty sure that Farrell told Davidson to do something anatomically impossible with the MLB replay system.

I have much the same reaction after reading certain Dan Shaughnessy columns...

Bipolar

Today's 'effort' by Shank focuses on just how aweseomely awesome the 2014 Boston Red Sox are:

FORT MYERS, Fla. — When you really start to think about it, the 2014 Red Sox are a lot like “The Lego Movie.’’

Everything is awesome.

Thursday was the much-anticipated first full-squad workout, and the entire Sox organization gathered for the first time since they all came down off the duck boats last November. The Sox released a photo of owners John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, plus Sam Kennedy, Jonathan Gilula, and Dr. Charles Steinberg sitting in Kraft-like high chairs, while general manager Ben Cherington addressed the defending world champs behind closed doors.

Obsessed with Patriots owner Robert Kraft much?

I don't know about you, but I think it's a rather small, petty man who feels the need to trash Patriots ownwership when he writes about the Red Sox.

And speaking of trashing ownership:

We’ve had executives on parade this week at JetBlue. John (William Randolph) Henry had his turn at the bench Wednesday

Now, is Shank lauding (falsely, of course) John Henry as the latest & greatest newspaper magnate, or the scumbag who defamed Annie Oakley with a false story just over a century ago?

Just to be on the safe side, Shank makes sure to perform a thorough ball washing:

While Tom was talking, Mr. Henry, the beloved owner of the Red Sox and the Globe, walked from the clubhouse wearing a black sportcoat, holding an umbrella over his head. It was hard not to think of Gene Kelly, Mary Poppins, or Ray Flynn in the Vatican, but Henry will get the last laugh when the rest of us are peeling sunburned skin off our necks.

And now, let's read about a product so profoundly awful it has to be given away:

The big boss no doubt was pleased at the sight of free Globes for everyone. Snowbirds from New England have been denied the pleasure of reading our vaunted broadsheet in Fort Myers in recent years, but this spring the paper is being printed at a site in Southwest Florida. Globe representatives are literally papering the house at JetBlue. Free Abraham and Cafardo for everyone.

Maybe the locals were lining their birdcages with something else the whole time?

Half Baked

Today we learn that there's snow in the Northeast, sun in Florida, and that the Red Sox clubhouse workers are hard-working and not paid as well as the players.

Thanks, Dan!

P.S. I was expecting him to dump on those players past and present who are habitually late to spring training (after all, when does The CHB miss an opportunity to rag on Latinos?), but it appears he is saving it for next time.

It's Easy to Be Right When You Have No Memory

The CHB on the 2013 season:

• March 24, 2013: The question now is, “Who are you going to pick to finish in last place — the Red Sox or the Yankees?’’
• Oct. 20, 2013:   One year after enduring last-place humiliation and the worst season in 47 years, the Red Sox are AL Champions for the 13th time since 1901.

On the Sox manager:

• Aug. 24, 2012: Mike Scioscia has been manager of the Angels since 2000 and is signed through 2018. He has been on the hot seat because of the Angels’ underperformance. If the Angels want to make a switch, how about the Sox making a deal to pick up Scioscia’s contract?
• Oct. 20, 2013:  [John Farrell] was the perfect candidate to replace clown prince Bobby Valentine. 

On chemistry:

• March 31, 2013: I hate to break it to everybody, but chemistry in a baseball clubhouse is way overrated.
• Oct. 20, 2013: In the winter of 2012-13, he went after quality clubhouse veterans, players who had played in big markets and big games. He acquired Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli, David Ross, Ryan Dempster, Uehara, and Victorino. And they all contributed mightily. They changed the clubhouse culture.

 On the ALCS:

• Oct. 20, 2013: "...eight days and six games of unforgettable baseball..."
• Oct. 20, 2013: The Sox beat the Tigers in six pulsating games.
• Oct. 20, 2013: The pace of these games is a serious threat to the erstwhile National Pastime.

So which is it?

Thus Sprach Homer

Shank gets a mini vacation to San Francisco and tries to gin up interest in this year's World Series between the Detroit Tigers and San Francisco Giants. There will be default interest, at least for the first two games, since there are no other major sports events on television until the weekend.

SAN FRANCISCO — Five years ago, the Patriots were on their way to an 18-0 record, the Ubuntu Celtics were in the early days of a championship season, Boston College’s football team was ranked second in the nation, John Farrell was Terry Francona’s first-year pitching coach . . . and the Red Sox were in the World Series against the Colorado Rockies.

Those were the days when you cared about the World Series. You couldn’t wait for Jonathan Papelbon to pull a 12-pack box over his head and do another Riverdance on the Fenway lawn.

So boozing's okay when Papelbon used to do it? Got it!

Baseball mattered. The World Series mattered.

You might think a columnist with Shank's three decades plus experience could focus almost exclusively on the subject at hand. Unfortunately, Shank feels the need to interject many parochial items in his column that you would think primarily involve the two teams, or the World Series in general. But you would be wrong:

■ The Kung Fu Panda. What is not to love about the Giants’ third baseman? Pablo Sandoval is baseball’s biggest loser and baseball’s biggest winner simultaneously. He must have the worst body of any athlete competing for a championship this year. He also has got the best nickname since Dennis “Oil Can” Boyd. Sandoval is Everyman, batting in the middle of the lineup for a team in the World Series.

■ Al Alburquerque. The Detroit reliever hacked off everybody in Oakland when he fielded the final out of a Division Series game and kissed the baseball before throwing it to first base.

■ Giants second baseman Marco Scutaro. Can’t you just hear Bob Lobel voicing over his highlights, saying, “Why can’t we get players like that?’’ Scutaro holds a special place in Red Sox lore. His baserunning blunder in Baltimore contributed to the final loss on the final night of the 2011 season. He flung his glove into the dugout when he came off the field as the Orioles celebrated at home plate. He was dumped during the offseason in a front office effort to avoid the luxury tax. He was also one of the Red Sox’ best players during the 7-20 collapse of 2011. Scutaro hit .387 (36 for 93) in his final month with the Red Sox. And now he is the MVP of the National League Championship Series (14 hits).

■ Tigers manager Jim Leyland wears spikes and smokes in his office. His wife is from Greater Boston and he has been known to complain about the cost of college tuition.

■ If you’ve tailgated on Commander Shea Field before a BC football game, you’ve stood in the spot where Buster Posey called pitches for Florida State against the Eagles in a three-game ACC baseball series in 2008.

No shots at the Red Sox or John Henry - is this Shank's new found restraint?

Whack Job

So two days after the Red Sox "were taking too long" to hire a new manager, John Farrell is now locked up as the skipper and "he’s got time to assemble his staff and his team."

Huh. Yet that's about the most sensible thing The CHB has to say in this 834-word regurgitation of his most common complaints, whines and bitches.

Most of the piece is the same old shtick: the owners are dysfunctional, the pitchers entitled, the support staff whackos. No surprises there. It wouldn't be a CHB column, though, without some flip-flops, of course.

When Terry Franconca was hired, Shank advised him to "Get caller ID on your cellphone and accept any calls from B. James in the 816 (Kansas City) area code."

Today, after two World Series wins, Bill James is now "a kooky cont­rarian in Lawrence, Kan. — a man intent on the reinvention of the way we all think about baseball."

Guess Shank is still mad that James' methods destroyed that whole "Curse" nonsense.

Bad hair and hard feelings are no way to go through life, Dan.