Sox are unraveling

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

BOSTON -- Terry Francona's memorable run as manager of the Red Sox, during which he guided the club to its first two World Series championships since 1918, came to an end.

"We met with Terry Francona, Theo Epstein and Ben Cherington Friday morning to discuss the 2011 season, ways to improve the club in the future, and Tito's status," the Red Sox said in a statement. "During the meeting, Tito, Theo and Ben agreed that the Red Sox would benefit from an improved clubhouse culture and higher standards in several areas. Tito said that after eight years here he was frustrated by his difficulty making an impact with the players, that a different voice was needed, and that it was time for him to move on. After taking time to reflect on Tito's sentiments, we agreed that it was best for the Red Sox not to exercise the option years on his contract.

"We have enormous respect, admiration and appreciation for Tito and the job that he did for eight years, including two World Series Championship seasons and five playoff appearances. His poise during the 2004 post-season was a key factor in the greatest comeback in baseball history, and his place in Red Sox history will never be forgotten. We wish him only the best going forward."

The Red Sox had until Oct. 8 to decide whether to exercise the $4.25 million option they held on Francona's contract for 2012.

RedSox may be looking for a new coach

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
NEW YORK – These men are hired for these jobs in baseball, to manage ballgames for a few hours a night and try not to do anything so stupid that it gets in the way of the actual baseball players.

For the other 21 hours, well, that”s the hard part.

Following a Thursday press conference (that followed a 7-20 September) in which Boston Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein admitted there were issues with player conditioning and preparation, numerous outlets reported Friday morning that manager Terry Francona would not return for his ninth season in Boston.

More From Tim Brown
Verlander vs. Sabathia shaping up as horse race Sep 29, 2011
Power Rankings: Sorting through the wreckage Sep 29, 2011


The Red Sox had only six wins in September.
(Getty Images)
If true, Francona would not be fired, technically, but his option for the 2012 season would not be exercised.

Francona met Friday morning with owner John Henry, upper management and Epstein, after which the club released a statement that read, in part, “We all plan on taking some time to process the thoughts expressed in the meeting. There are no immediate plans for an announcement.”

Francona left the meeting without comment for waiting reporters. The statement, the events of September, and the end-of-season debriefing apparently would stand for another news cycle.

Francona and Epstein had sat shoulder-to-shoulder Thursday afternoon in a small room at Fenway Park. Each was bent a little at the neck, each crossed his arms across his chest, each blinked at the table too much.

They were miserable. One, or both, seemed on his way out. For good. That much was clear.

Out there, past the old brick of their ballpark, across the ruins of their season, the New York Yankees – the stinkin” Yankees – were readying for October, like seven other teams.

But not the Red Sox, the $165-million Red Sox, the hugely favored Red Sox, the collapsible Red Sox.

How much would you pay for a caught ball?The Sox paid 100 million for a dropped one

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

BALTIMORE -- Carl Crawford's Wednesday night could not have been laden with more irony, disappointment or circularity.

It was a ball that just eluded the glove of a sliding Crawford in the ninth inning that plated the winning run for the Orioles, the team whose 4-3 victory was part one of two outcomes that eliminated the Red Sox from reaching the postseason.

With the game tied at 3 and the winning run on second base, Robert Andino hit a liner to left off Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon that Crawford charged. He went into a feet-first slide, keeping his glove low to the ground on the glove-side of his body, his right, but he couldn't snag it.

It was eerily similar to a play from two days earlier that Crawford also could not make, in a 6-3 loss to the O's.

"It was low, so I knew that I had to just try to slide," Crawford said of Wednesday's attempt. "I couldn't dive. I had to try to get up under it, and I wasn't able to. I had to try to make a sliding catch. I couldn't come up with it, though."

The ball stopped dead next to Crawford's glove. He sprung to his feet and fired home, but the throw was well off the mark -- he might not have had a chance to catch Nolan Reimold at the plate anyway -- and the Red Sox walked off in shock.

Time to shift to my playoff team..go Phillies

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Roy Halladay started the Phillies' last postseason with a no-hitter, and he'll have the chance to get his team off to a great October start once again.

To the surprise of no one, the veteran right-hander and 2010 National League Cy Young Award winner was confirmed, in the typical homespun manner of Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel, as the Game 1 starter of the Phillies' upcoming NL Division Series against the Wild Card-champion St. Louis Cardinals, slated for Saturday at Citizens Bank Park.

"I think if you're good baseball people, you should be able to see how we're setting it up," Manuel said. "I shouldn't have to answer that."

He shouldn't, because the numbers speak for themselves. Halladay, who went 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA this season, went 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA, including the opening-game no-no, in last year's postseason run.

He'll be followed by left-hander Cliff Lee, who went 17-8 with a 2.40 ERA and a Major League-leading six shutouts this year. The Game 3 and Game 4 starters are expected to be lefty Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.75) and Roy Oswalt (8-10, 3.86), respectively.

Halladay's last start of the regular season came last Saturday, Sept. 24, at Citi Field against the Mets. He earned his 19th victory by pitching six scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk and striking out three. It was a strong tuneup for this coming Saturday, which gives him six days of rest before his team's 2011 postseason lid-lifter.

He expressed confidence in his team's chances after that win.

"It's nice to go in [to the postseason] on a strong finish, even though that doesn't always determine how things are going to work out," Halladay said.

Put away the bats and grab your golf clubs

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

BALTIMORE -- The Red Sox had their bags packed for either a one-game playoff at Tropicana Field, or even better, a trip to Texas to start the American League Division Series. But by the end of one final unraveling, they had nowhere to go but home.

This, after the worst September collapse in baseball history.

A surreal month ended in jarring fashion, the Red Sox suffering a walk-off 4-3 loss to the last-place Baltimore Orioles with two outs in the bottom of the ninth.

"We should have won that game," said slugger David Ortiz, "but it seemed like everything was going in the wrong direction. So many things happened that you think about -- you're very disappointed."

One strike away from victory, ace closer Jonathan Papelbon couldn't finish off the Orioles, who beat the Red Sox five times in seven games over the final two weeks. Nolan Reimold drilled a ground-rule RBI double to tie the game, and Robert Andino followed with the crushing capper, a line-drive single that Carl Crawford trapped, and then dropped.

"You get in that situation, you hope things go your way. It's a game of inches," Papelbon said.

And that was how Boston's 7-20 September ended, and shortly thereafter, the season.

A.500 team

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
CHICAGO -- The Blue Jays' 2011 campaign came to an end on Wednesday afternoon with a ninth-inning comeback in a 3-2 victory over the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Toronto entered the ninth trailing by a run, but loaded the bases against left-hander Chris Sale and scored the tying and go-ahead runs on back-to-back walks.

The Blue Jays' year comes to a close with an 81-81 record under the guidance of rookie manager John Farrell. It marks the fourth time in eight seasons the club has finished at least at .500, but the mark is down from an 85-77 record in 2010.

What if the Rays and the Sox are still tied after tonight

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

An actual must win game...The contingency plans are set. Major League Baseball has set up start times for potential Wild Card tiebreakers in both leagues as the regular season comes to an end. Either or both of those games would be played Thursday, the day before the American League playoffs start.

If the Red Sox and Rays finish in a tie for the American League Wild Card, a play-in game would be set for Thursday at 4:07 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. The Rays went 12-6 against Boston in the regular-season series to earn home-field advantage for the tiebreaker.