Ben in this spot before - BostonHerald.com

Why is Larry Lucchino so involved with the search for manager? His PR-motivated push for the hiring of Bobby Valentine last off-season was an unmitigated disaster. Why is he involved again?

I have said it before and I will say it again, you hire a GM to do a job. Let him do his job. If Larry doesn’t think Cherington is capable, fire him and hire someone Larry thinks is capable. If Larry can’t find anyone acceptable to him, let Larry be the GM. At least that way, there is a clear line of responsibility instead of the muddled mess the Red Sox have now.

When Cherington took over as general manager last October, the Red Sox [team stats] had more than $130 million committed to 12 players. Another 11 were in line for raises through salary arbitration. And so, even though the Sox planned to maintain a payroll in the $180 million range, Cherington had little wiggle room to make the additions required to have a winning season.
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“Whoever the manager is, it’s important that he has the support of ownership and myself,” Cherington said. “That’s what gives the manager the best chance to succeed, aside from his own skills and qualities he brings. So, building consensus around a person is important.”