Hot Clubhouse Flowers
Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reported that there was indeed a run-in between Manny Ramirez and Curt Schilling. Silverman’s source stated that Ramirez is not the type of player Terry Francona likes, saying, “Francona has one way of thinking and there’s one type of player he wants on his team and that’s not Manny.” What exactly about Ramirez’s .370 OBP, .571 slugging, 92 RBIs, 12 assists, and his protection of David Ortiz in the lineup is unlikable?
This incident makes it clear that there are “Francona Guys” and “Not Francona Guys” and that Boston has a more divisive clubhouse than previously depicted. Cliques are inevitable, but if they form the basis for inane decision-making, such as every nearly every permutation of the Manny deal presented, the front office needs to revise their methodology for dealing with dissent.
Pitchers should rein in their criticism of position players. I have thought that pitchers and hitters should have different leadership structures, and that pitchers in particular have no right to call out position players on how much efffort should be exerted. In the end, a position player is on the field practically every day, and how can a pitcher dictate the rigors of such a grinding schedule? When Schilling and David Wells take the field daily I’ll give their comments more credence.
I think Jason Varitek’s leadership by example was woefully unfit to deal with “Mannygate.” That type of guidance works when you have a clubhouse of Bill Muellers, but you with the Red Sox, you don’t. If Varitek wants to be a well-rounded leader and perhaps future field manager, he’ll have to become more outspoken and learn to bridge the gap between players of different backgrounds and attitudes. A good example to follow would be Ozzie Guillen.
My opinions are based only on what has been released so far. I’m certain we’ll get a return volley from the pro-Francona camp in due time. The over-riding concern I have is that at 4:00 PM today the major league’s Dynamic Duo will remain intact.
