By Justin Aucoin
WickedGoodSports.com
Its going to be one hell of an offseason for the Boston Red Sox.
As soon as the Sox made their implosion complete the finger pointing started. Now the mudslinging and trash heaving is in full swing.
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Yesterday, Boston.com published an insight story into what was going on behind the scenes and in the Red Sox clubhouse. Minus the obvious bowing to the mighty Sox ownership, it gave some interesting tidbits into how dysfunctional the 2011 Red Sox truly were. And pretty sure the Boston.com story is a watered down of what really went down, too.
CSNNE.com reporter Mike Giardi had his own little story on how poisonous the Red Sox clubhouse was. Its maddening if youre a Boston fan.
Both articles garnered a slew of reactions from fans and media alike. Fans were wondering why these stories didnt come out earlier; they want to know how such a screwed-up organization, always in spotlight, could keep its dirty socks hidden from the public eye all season long. Media personalities finally got some answers, too.
Chicken roasts and a slew of other madness. It now seems like us calling the Red Sox the MLBs version of "Animal House" is off base. Its at least 100x worse.
From the Boston.com story:
The indifference of Beckett, Lester, and Lackey in a time of crisis can be seen in what team sources say became their habit of drinking beer, eating fast-food fried chicken, and playing video games in the clubhouse during games while their teammates tried to salvage a once-promising season.
Sounds like the Red Sox pitching staff were more geared toward playing adult softball than pitching in the MLB.
If thats their dream, maybe the Sox should let them chase it instead of stinking up Yawkey Way.
And as our buddy @gorskic said yesterday, Beckett & Co. are probably solely responsible for keeping the Boston Popeyes in business.
After a long, super hard, endoftheworld road trip, John Henry decided to bring the team onto his yacht to hang back, relax and be cool.
Boston.com:
The owners responded by giving all the players 300 headphones and inviting them to enjoy a players-only night on principal owner John W. Henrys yacht after they returned from a road trip Sept. 11.
2011 Red Sox: On a boat and out of the playoffs
Yet, that obviously wasnt enough to sooth the teams inflating egos and waistlines.
Boston.coms article also makes Terry Francona look like a cross between Amy Whinehouse and Michael Jackson. Seriously.
From Boston.com:
Team sources also expressed concern that Franconas performance may have been affected by his use of pain medication, which he also vehemently denied. Francona said he has taken pain medicine for many years, particularly after multiple knee surgeries. He said he used painkillers after knee surgery last October and used them during the season to relieve the discomfort of doctors draining blood from his knee at least five times.
Sounds innocent enough. Everyone has one family member whos a walking pharmacy. But these team sources want you to think Tito is trying out for "Scarface".
In reality, its probably more like this:
Yet for all the crap tossing by team sources and management, somehow the Red Sox owners come out of the fray without a speck of poo on their fine Gucchi suits. They claim they were generally unaware of how deeply damaged the Sox had become until after the season.
Smell that?
Listen, Francona mightve been able to keep the teams trash swept under the carpet and away from the prying eyes of the media but from ownership, too? Thats unbelievable. This hear no evil, see no evil is BS. You dont have as much money as the Red Sox have invested into its employees and not pay attention to whats going on off and on the field.
And if it is trueif John Henry and his minions were completely oblivious to what was going on with their teamthey need to get grilled for it. They need to take responsibility. Its their team. Its their business venture. Theyre no more innocent than anyone wearing the Sox jersey.
They need a little crap on their suits, too. Which team source will help throw the first piece of dung? There seems to be plenty to go around.