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“Fire me? Why not? I’ve only led the Red Sox to 3 division titles and 1 World Series championship in my 5 seasons with Boston. It’s probably time they had a winner take the helm at Fenway.” … Sure enough, Boston fired Manager John Farrell today, 10/11/17, just as we were going to press with this post.
The Boston Red Sox fired John Farrell as their manager a few minutes ago and Boston Herald sportswriter Steve Buckley called the shot two days earlier in the wake of the club’s loss to the Astros in the ALDS. The body of bean town hope was still warm when the writer went to work on this outcome in a column of October 9th that simply screamed for this happening ….
Buckley: Time has come for Red Sox to fire John Farrell
Read the article. And ask yourselves: How much was Buckley’s conclusion tied to the fact that part of his job is to write through whatever feelings he may be having in the moment of fan disappointment and state the most objective conclusions he can find? And how much could it have been a very different article, had Buckley’s Red Sox settled Game 4 on the winning side?
We don’t really know the answer to those questions either, but here’s one example of what we mused may have changed, had the 8th and 9th innings gone the optimal Red Sox way. First check out what Buckley said below about the Bregman homer, as quoted from his article. Then see our own playful musing on what Buckley might have written, had things gone quite differently in the Red Sox’s favor in Game 4.
Because of Bregman’s HR Over the Monster to start the 8th in Game 4, Buckley actually wrote ….
“Why was lefty Chris Sale, despite his heroic relief pitching yesterday, allowed to return to the mound in the eighth inning? Am I only the person who felt he might have been spent by then?
“Besides, Houston’s leadoff man in the eighth was Alex Bregman, a right-handed batter who hit .331 against lefties this season. He homered off Sale in Game 1. Sale remained in Game 4, and Bregman walloped a game-tying homer. Craig Kimbrel didn’t exactly mow ’em down when he took over, but one wonders about an altered course had the eighth started with the Sox ace closer facing Bregman.”
~ Steve Buckley, Sportswriter, Boston Herald, Monday, October 9, 2017
If Sale had struck out Bregman in the 8th and retired the Astros in order, and had the Red Sox gone on to win, Buckley could have written the following ….
“Chris Sale completed an heroic relief pitching job Sunday, going 5 2/3 innings through eight innings, striking out the side in his last frame and finishing the day with 9 K’s, no walks, 0 runs, 3 hits, and the win in a Game 4 ALDS series-tying 3-2 triumph by the Red Sox over the Astros that was closed by ace reliever Craig Kimbrel in the ninth.
“Am I only the person who felt Sale had it in him to get the job done by pitching through the eighth?
“Nope. Sox manager John Farrell felt the same way I did. – We both deserve a raise.”
~ Steve Buckley, Sportswriter, Boston Herald, Monday, October 9, 2017
As the old song goes: “Some’s gotta win; some’s gotta lose. (Even) Good Time Charlie (writers) – get the blues.”
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Bill McCurdy
Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher
The Pecan Park Eagle
The Pecan Park Eagle 
October 11, 2017 at 9:14 pm |
People who don’t break a sweat for a living seem to always find it easier to judge those who do ….
October 12, 2017 at 7:59 am |
Joe Girardi might have found himself job hunting had the Yankees not pulled a rabbit out of the hat after blowing an 8-3 lead and losing game 2. It’s the “What have you done for me lately?” syndrome.
October 14, 2017 at 12:41 pm |
If Johnny Unitas wouldn’ t have been injured the Colts would have won the Super Bowl against the Jets…….Chowda Heads……