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The Trainwreck that is the Red Sox. A Boston Globe Investigation
The best part is about Lackey, Becket and Lester drinking beer, eating chicken & biscuits,
and playing video games during actual games!
What happened to transform the Red Sox from a team on pace for 100 wins
in August to a self-destructing group that blew the largest September
playoff lead in baseball history?
The Boston Globe’s Bob Hohler conducted a wide investigation into the
collapse. Here are highlights of his findings:
Inside the collapse of the Red Sox
* Front-line starters Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Jon Lester continued
a practice that sources said began in 2010 of spending time in the
clubhouse during games. The players drank beer, ordered take-out chicken
and biscuits and played video games during games.
* The starting pitchers’ conditioning also deteriorated, and the
consequences were apparent as their body fat appeared to increase and
pitching skills eroded. When the team needed them in September, they
posted a combined 2-7 record with a 6.45 earned run average, the Sox
losing 11 of their 15 starts. Said manager Terry Francona to Fox Sports,
“The guys that weren’t down on the bench, I wanted them down on the
bench.”
* Ironically, Beckett, Lackey and Lester joined Tim Wakefield and Clay
Buchholz in their uniforms during the springtime in a country music
video titled “Hell Yeah, I Like Beer” filmed at Fenway.
Manager losing influence
* Francona spent the year living out of a hotel after moving out of the
home he shared with his wife of 30 years, Jacque. Sources said he was
distracted by health and personal issues, which included his son and
son-in-law serving in Afghanistan.
* Francona denied allegations by sources that his performance was
affected by use of pain medication. He consulted team doctor Larry Ronan
in spring training when one of his children expressed concern about a
pill bottle in his room. “I went and saw the proper people and it was
not an issue,’’ Francona said. “It never became an issue, and
anybody who knew what was going on knows that.’’
Player complaints seemed trivial
* Players expressed anger at having to play a doubleheader on Aug. 27
because of Hurricane Irene’s approach the next day. The Red Sox won
both games, but it would be the last time they would win two straight
contests all season. But the players’ anger lingered, management
feared, as they continued to play poorly. So Red Sox officials gave
every player a $300 set of headphones and threw a party for the players
on team owner John Henry’s yacht after returning from a road trip on
Sept. 11.
* Several incidents occurred that seemed to highlight the selfish
mindset shared by many players, such as Wakefield saying in September
that fans “deserved” to see him return next season to chase the
team’s all-time win record and Gonzalez complaining in September about
the schedule that required the Red Sox to play five Sunday night games
during the season.
* Sources said Pedroia was one of a few players who remained committed
to winning in the team’s final weeks.
* Even captain Jason Varitek lost influence as a leader, sources said.
* Carl Crawford remained a disappointment in September after joining the
Red Sox as a free agent signed to a $142 million deal. Sources said
Epstein had to push Red Sox ownership to sign him and at least one top
executive believed Crawford’s skills as a speedy lefthanded-hitting
outfielder seemed to duplicate Ellsbury’s.
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Originally Posted by pinnerpsk
