[Francona] suggested that the 2011 Sox did not appear to pull together as the season progressed, perhaps contributing to the groundwork for the season’s dissolution.

“There were some things I was worried about. We were spending too much energy on things that weren’t putting our best foot forward towards winning,” said Francona. “We spent a few minutes in the clubhouse that day talking about that. There were some things that did concern me. Teams normally as the season progresses, there are events that make you care about each other, and this club, it didn’t always happen as much as I wanted it to. And I was frustrated by that.”

“Ultimately you don’t need a team that wants to go out to dinner together. But you need a team that wants to protect each other on the field and be fiercely loyal to each other on the field,” [Francona] said. “That‘s what ultimately is really important. … I wanted us to handle things on the field a little bit better than we did. At times, we just didn’t get there and it was very difficult.”
...
Theo: "There were things that caught Tito's eye, caught my eye, that weren't quite right, even when we were winning."
...
Tito: "I don't think you can put it in a guy's contract that if he's going to make a certain amount of money he can't roll his eyes. I don't think the guys in the clubhouse have a problem with Lack, nor do I. I think we certainly wished it would have gone better on the mound. But I haven't had a problem with Lack at all."
Theo: Lackey's gestures on the field were something he also did in Anaheim "and we were aware of them when we signed him." Also said he always apologizes the next day. "He's a good teammate."

Sources indicate some Red Sox higher-ups question whether Francona is "aggressive enough'' with his players. Francona has gotten great mileage over the years from being lenient and doing whatever it takes to keep players happy, but there's a question whether the team is together this year. Some suggest that starting pitchers Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey have formed a clique that may sometimes include catcher Jason Varitek but few others. There is also some upset over Beckett declining to pitch to anyone but Varitek.

Now when I ask on Francona, I hear that his players’ manager style of staying calmly above the fray is not working. You hear words like “rudderless” used to describe these faltering Red Sox. There has been a lot of talk that many of Francona’s players are out of shape and that he has done nothing to stop that. There is worry that he has done nothing to extinguish veteran cliques that have made players feel over-privileged. That John Lackey has on several occasions felt empowered enough to show up Francona when he is being taken out of games is seen by some in Red Sox management as a sign of too little intervention by the manager, too much of the inmates running the asylum.

Ellsbury is a 2007 alum and an MVP candidate, a magnificent player with the brightest future of them all. His teammates like and admire him, but he keeps to himself, confides only in Jed Lowrie.

Can you blame him? His teammate two or three lockers to his left continued, as recently as two months ago, to publicly question Ellsbury's decision to retreat to Arizona last summer for treatment for broken ribs. Kevin Youkilis has always been a hot button. On occasion, his intensity and his honesty were his biggest assets, but not this season. The injured Youkilis showed up every day the way he wanted Ellsbury to, but he turned so sour and cynical that his carping and insistence on inserting himself into other people's affairs turned him into a detriment.

Then we have Ortiz, who had a redemptive season on the diamond. He has long been credited for galvanizing the Latino players and justifiably so, but he didn't seem to grasp how damaging it was to publicly question whether Alfredo Aceves should be a starter instead of a reliever, and how it undermined both the manager and the general manager at a critical time of the year.

I wish the Sox could get Maddon.

Management might not mind a fresh start, either, particularly after a 7-20 September that included the worst collapse in baseball history and showed cracks in Francona’s hold on a clubhouse that grew increasingly selfish.
...
According to multiple sources with knowledge of the meeting, Francona was in part annoyed over complaints about the buses to the ballpark and wanted players to focus their energy more positively.
...
Meanwhile, a number of players put themselves into a position to have their professionalism called into question. According to multiple sources, more than one pitcher drank beer in the clubhouse during games on the days he didn’t pitch.

While clubhouse imbibing is a tradition as old as baseball itself -— Kevin Millar and the Idiots memorably sipped Jack Daniel’s before beating the Yankees in the final two games of the 2004 ALCS — the Red Sox [team stats] also had a number of players break down during the season, suggesting that they weren’t taking proper care of themselves. Strength coach Dave Page, long considered one of the best in the game, was not a fully utilized resource.

By September it had become difficult for Francona to reach his team, which played lifelessly.

Meanwhile, a number of players put themselves into a position to have their professionalism called into question. According to multiple sources, more than one pitcher drank beer in the clubhouse during games on the days he didn’t pitch.

While clubhouse imbibing is a tradition as old as baseball itself -— Kevin Millar and the Idiots memorably sipped Jack Daniel’s before beating the Yankees in the final two games of the 2004 ALCS — the Red Sox [team stats] also had a number of players break down during the season, suggesting that they weren’t taking proper care of themselves. Strength coach Dave Page, long considered one of the best in the game, was not a fully utilized resource.

Just WAG - DeMarlo Hale. I see an internal candidate.

Or Bobby Valentine. That would be interesting.

I mean, places I've worked in will serve beer/wine at late afternoon social events in the office, but they don't have a fridge of beers there for you to help yourself.

Heyman says it's over and he's gone. Could just be Heyman being Heyman.

Like when reporters get a cell phone call in the middle of his press conferences and actually take it—to the point that he will stop the press conference and deliberately embarrass them for doing so with barbed comments. It's a little thing, but even though the people who do this are in the wrong, you could see some of them getting annoyed with his response.

Hell, the B & L boys (starters Beckett and Bucholz, Lackey and Lester) even appeared together in a dopey country music video called, IIRC, "I Like Beer".

mlb.com is reporting that he'll be out.

Sources told Lynch that team general manager Theo Epstein told management six weeks ago that Francona wasn't working out and they voted him out by a 3-0 vote a few weeks after that. It was said that a "lack of urgency" was the primary reason behind the decision, because Francona is not known as a disciplinarian.

Hiring Francona was thought to have aided the quest for Schilling, so are there any manager and free agent/no-trade waiver combos this year?

I'm not really buying the report. It doesn't fit with most of our other information, and as you say, it's weird in baseball terms. but I'm just trying to collect everything - you never know what the story might be.

ESPN now reporting that they met today, and that no announcements about anything are imminent.

John Henry, Tom Werner, Larry Lucchino, Ben Cherington and I met with Terry Francona this morning at Fenway Park to exchange thoughts and information on the 2011 season and discuss areas for improvement going forward. We all plan on taking some time to process the thoughts expressed in the meeting. There are no immediate plans for an announcement.

Is Darren our front office mole? Is he really Theo's twin brother posting under an alias?

If the Sox win their last six games, and make the wildcard by 4 games, or something, we're hot having this conversation today

if Papelbon throws one splitter

IIRC, the pitch that was hit to LF and ended Game 162 for the Sox was clocked at 90 mph--so either Paps was really, REALLY gassed, or that was a splitter...that didn't split.

Boston's mayor had a more measured response.

"The manager always get blamed. We have ballplayers out there who are making $7 million a year for eight years, and what is their incentive to be out there working hard every day? I think it's difficult for a manager of a baseball team," Menino said

Terry Francona returned to Fenway, stayed 40 minutes, and left.

So there's that.

UPDATE, 3:14 p.m.: Francona is back at Fenway. He's putting some miles on that black Escalade today.

I'd say this sounds like a guy cleaning out an office that was effectively a second home for eight years

Sox owner John Henry escorted off his yacht at Rowe's Wharf, wearing a neckbrace. He's been hospitalized.

Had to fire someone and they fired the wrong one. A Duquette/Tito duo would have been the best possible solution and would have changed the team's makeup and chemistry.

It's official - Tito's gone:

NESN report

I hope to one day have someone love me with the devotion and fervor that karlmagnus has for Duquette.

You realize that either karlmagnus *is* Duquette, or there's a restraining order involved, right?

but next Sox manager really ought to be Jason Varitek.

next Sox manager really ought to be Jason Varitek.