The Sox and the Restless

These are interesting days in Red Sox Nation.

The team has just completed arguably the greatest regular-season collapse in baseball history, its popular manager, Terry Francona, has resigned/been fired/not had the option on his contract picked up, and their boy wonder general manager, Theo Epstein, is reportedly being courted by the Chicago Cubs.

Oh, and there are rumours of clubhouse dissent including (gasp!) allegations of players drinking beer in the clubhouse.

A month ago, the idea that the Red Sox could start next season with a new manager and a new GM would have been unthinkable, but now? It's entirely possible, maybe even likely.

Another question is who is the villain in this drama? Is it Francona? Epstein? Red Sox owner Tom Werner? The players?

The inability to finger a single culprit in this mess only adds to the intrigue of a fascinating New England soap opera that continues to unfold on a daily basis.

Whether Francona deserved to be fired is debatable, but no one can argue he got the most out of what many considered to be the most talented Red Sox team ever assembled.

As the architect of that club, Epstein shares some of the blame too, but a strong case can be made that the 38-year-old, two-time World Series winner is still the best GM in baseball.

So if you're Werner, what do you do?

According to Dan Shaughnessy of the Boston Globe, the team held meetings Tuesday afternoon to discuss how to handle the Cubs' request to speak to Epstein, including the possibility that compensation be made simply for the right to chat.

We know the Cubs want to speak with Epstein and we know the Red Sox are at least open to allowing it to happen, but what we don't know, is what Epstein wants.

There are few better jobs in baseball than running the Red Sox, but being the GM of the next Cubs team to win a World Series would be one of them.

Should Epstein bolt for the Cubs, Johnny Damon might lose his title as the most despised ex-Red Sox in recent memory.

Making their list…

In the hunt for Francona's replacement, Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reports the Red Sox -- including Epstein, we presume -- spent Tuesday drawing up a listof potential managerial candidates.

The names:

Dave Martinez -Tampa Bay Rays bench coach.

Pete Mackanin - Philadelphia Phillies bench coach.

Sandy Alomar Jr. - Cleveland Indians bench coach.

Tony Pena - New York Yankees bench coach.

Notice a trend here?

As for the likes of Tony La Russa, Joe Torre and Bobby Valentine, McAdam writes none of them appear likely since the Sox are seeking a younger candidate.

Tito takes to the airwaves

Good news for Sox fans suffering from Francona withdrawal. Fox announced Wednesday the former Red Sox skipper will serve as a colour analyst for Games 1 and 2 of the American League Championship Series while Tim McCarver will be away with what the network called a medical issue.

Rays owner crying fan poor

Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg is sick and tired of his team's lousy support despite having made the playoffs three of the past four years.

Only 28,299 showed up to the Trop on Wednesday to see the Rays lose 4-3 to the Texas Rangers in Game 4 of the ALDS, and Sternberg suggested something will soon have to give.

He's just not sure what.

"We replicated last year and our numbers were down," Sternberg told reporters. "The (television) ratings were down. The rubber has got to hit the road at some point. We're four years into winning. We're getting to the point where we don't control our own destiny. This is untenable as a model."

The Rays opened the season with a $41.9-million payroll, the second-lowest in baseball.

Talks for a new stadium are in the preliminary stages but it's unknown where the funding would come from.

"You can look at us and potentially Oakland as the only teams in that respect," Sternberg said, referring to another team with stadium issues. "And Oakland by hook and crook will have a situation clearer well before we will, and we will be the last man standing. Or in this case, lying down."

A blog on America's national past-time from a Canadian perspective.