This is a pretty fair evaluation overall. I don't think there was a catcher/3b platoon, but it was a wise way to break up the playing time. VMart played every day and Tek and Lowell played part time.

I'm feeling pretty good about Lowell for next year. He can still obviously hit and his defense improved as the year went on. If he can get up to average on D, he'll be solidly average hitter.

Lowell at a distance has always looked like a great player to me, who doesn't get much notoriety. I guess it's the injuries?

Lowell was very popular in South Florida. #2 of all the Fish after I-Rod on the 2003 team, and right there with Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera the next couple of years.

But what could have Tito and Farrell done with the rotation? Matsuzaka was injured, Penny and Smoltz didn't do it, and I think Buchholz was being punished by being kept in Pawtucket. Masterson could have been used more but you are still stuck one spot short.

Great post.

I think Tito probably had to provide more of the leadership this year than in the past as the veteran leaders in the clubhouse: Veritek, Papi, Lowell, and Wakefield were all dealing with their own slumps and/or injuries. The slumps/injuries have got to affect your ability to provide leadership and for the other guys to really get behind you. There was also a changing-of-the-guard taking place as I think Youk and Pedroia and Beckett and Lester are trying to take more of the leadership responsibility. I understand that this is a little squishy but did anyone else pick up those kind of vibes from the team this year?

Matsuzaka was injured, Penny and Smoltz didn't do it, and I think Buchholz was being punished by being kept in Pawtucket. Masterson could have been used more but you are still stuck one spot short.

If Smoltz and Penny were so bad the team needed to cut them, then the team should have been starting Buchholz and Masterson and looking for other options. The problem is that they kept both guys around and took a long time to make that evaluation (particularly with Penny). Either the evaluation that Penny/Smoltz needed to be cut was wrong, or the Sox took too long to make their final evaluation when there were reasonable replacements in the system, and the team could have been looking for reasonable replacements outside the system.

On the leadership thing, obviously we have no idea, and obviously there are lots of clubs that have been successful without clear public knowledge of who the leaders in the clubhouse were, and clubs that have been successful without a social structure based around acknowledged leaders wocka wocka wocka, but I kinda agree with dangnewt's speculation. The feeling that the team didn't really have any personality - which, troublingly, is also what Bill Simmons felt - seems related to the fact that there were never really any stories about how the clubhouse worked, and the guys we've heard about as clubhouse leaders in past seasons were struggling with their own issues and often not on the field. I don't really know why I didn't connect with the club as much this year, and it's, again, troubling that Bill Simmons felt pretty similarly to this, but the feeling that I had no idea what the social dynamic of the team was, and perhaps that there wasn't much of any social dynamic worth hearing about, probably impacted my enjoyment of the season.

It seemed like when Victor Martinez came, he took some of that responsibility - at least that's how it was reported.

The Buchholz decision was in part related to off the field considerations I have heard. He was not going to be coming up to replace Penny. The #### really hit the fan beginning in the middle of June. Matsuzaka's attempt to comeback was a failure, but Smoltz could take his place. He didn't pitch well while Penny started to suck hard. Francona had to replace two pitchers, but he didn't have the options. Masterson would have been available for only a few weeks.

Speaking of injured players (this is going to be off-topic), is Lowell really the slowest runner on the team? My brother and I have a running (pardon the pun) disagreement about who's the slowest of Lowell, Ortiz, or Victor Martinez. I have V-Mart as *definitely* slower than Ortiz, and possibly as slow as Lowell.

I'm interested in the interpersonal and clubhouse-building traits of a manager. But those seem to be devilishly hard to quantify.

Kansas City radio this morning got a tip from Buster Olney that the Royals and Red Sox may have something brewing. Possibly Mark Teahen going to Boston was the speculation on the radio.

I didn't connect with the club as much this year

You didn't either? I didn't and I thought maybe part of it was that I missed Manny, but I also had a hectic year. Bought a new place, went to a couple of weddings, wound up putting in longer hours, and so on.

I didn't connect with the club as much this year

You didn't either?

I wonder if the musical chairs at color commentator could be a reason for this? Not saying they were bad, but I wonder if the stream of different voices/viewpoints might reduce familiarity.

Kansas City radio this morning got a tip from Buster Olney that the Royals and Red Sox may have something brewing. Possibly Mark Teahen going to Boston was the speculation on the radio.


Why?

I wonder if the musical chairs at color commentator could be a reason for this? Not saying they were bad, but I wonder if the stream of different voices/viewpoints might reduce familiarity.

Not for me - there were games where a significant factor in my choosing to tune in was to hear Eck. I love that guy.

GGC - I had a hectic year, too, but I don't think that was the only problem. Something about this club didn't click. The shape of the season hurt- the Sox went from division leaders to wild card leaders in a flash, and there was never really much of a pennant race for either slot given the ridiculous dominance of the Yankees after the break. But even in the spring I didn't feel much connection. I dunno.

I agree that Teahen makes no sense at all on the Sox.

Kansas City radio this morning got a tip from Buster Olney that the Royals and Red Sox may have something brewing. Possibly Mark Teahen going to Boston was the speculation on the radio.

Wrong hose, Buster.

White Sox not Red Sox

Sorry about this, just heard it this morning driving the kids to school and they were talking about Coco Crisp deal and so forth.

If the Red Sox have something going with KC, it's for Callaspo.