Considering the Sox owners are Evil Geniuses that control the media, I wonder why they didn't use JD Drew as a convenient scapegoat for the bitter 2011 season instead of all the other machinations and puppet-string pulling they did last offseason.

I agree with whoever said that all the JD Drew hate was used up by 2011. There was no need to throw Drew under the bus when the average Sox fan had hated him for several years and his contract was up anyway. The opinion in #25 is much more reflective of the average Sox fan than the rest of this thread.

And is the overall claim that the Sox owners didn't throw anyone under the bus, through the willing media, after the 2011 season? From the Globe: "Team sources also expressed concern that Francona’s performance may have been affected by his use of pain medication". Who needs Drew when you have a druggie to blame things on?

If they are such nefarious and prolific bus under-throwers, why do they do it in a way that makes everyone hate them instead of the intended victims?

That is some statement right there. How can you possibly think any athlete could reach the pinnacle of their chosen profession without being totally dedicated to it? Do people think Drew was just born an amazing player, never worked hard and stayed in it for the cash? What an inane thing for anyone to write.

Not sure how true the story was, but I had read that Drew didn't even take up organized baseball until he was in high school because his football coach wanted him to do something during the "offseason."

So it's very possible that Drew was immensely, naturally talented and didn't have the passion for the games that other less talented players had. It doesn't change the fact that he was a pretty good player who just couldn't stay healthy enough.

Nate, is it really either/or?

This would seriously, seriously bring me down:

EDIT: I'm an idiot, can't link correctly. MLB trade rumors has a story about the Sox being interested in Scioscia if Farrell isn't available.

why do they do it in a way that makes everyone hate them instead of the intended victims?

They have read their Machiavelli and don't mind being hated as long as they are feared.

Crawford made Drew look like Cal Ripken. That's one reason Drew escaped scrutiny in 2011.

Crawford made Drew look like Cal Ripken. That's one reason Drew escaped scrutiny in 2011.

This makes no sense. Crawford played 130 games last year, Drew 81. Crawford's 31 games in 2012 makes Drew look like an ironman, but you wouldn't have known this in 2011.

Nate, is it really either/or?

It's not so much that it's either/or but I think the better question is why does it keep happening in Boston? This has gone on for as long as I can remember (late-70s) with a couple of different ownership groups. At some point I think you pin the blame on the media that has been constant rather than the change regimes. I don't see a big link between Haywood Sullivan, Dan Duqette and Ben Cherington yet Fred Lynn, Mo Vaughn and Adrian Gonzalez all got some grief leaving town.

The Francona piece was pure garbage. The writer used "team sources" pretty vaguely. I have no doubt he talked to someone in the Sox organization but I'm skeptical that it was someone of substance. Maybe it was, I'm not so naive as to dismiss that they really are that evil but "Team sources also expressed concern that Francona’s performance may have been affected by his use of pain medication" is pretty friggen vague. Someone somewhere said something may have happened doesn't rise to valid news story to me without a hell of a lot more concrete sourcing in my mind.

Having said that I'll note that Chad Finn of the Globe who I find very fair insists that the sourcing was more than valid. I just get pissed because I'm a huge Francona fan and I hate seeing the Sox shoot themselves in the foot.

That's one reason Drew escaped scrutiny in 2011.

I think Drew escaped scrutiny because people didn't like him so they didn't mind he was gone. It's kind of like Lackey this year, no one is really bothered that he's been hurt all year because they don't like him and because he sucked.

This would seriously, seriously bring me down:

EDIT: I'm an idiot, can't link correctly. MLB trade rumors has a story about the Sox being interested in Scioscia if Farrell isn't available.

Why does everyone hate the idea of Scioscia? I'd prefer Farrell but Scioscia looks pretty good to me from afar. He has his flaws (if they hire him they should probably trade Lavarnway yesterday) but I don't see him as a bad manager and I don't have any dislike of him.