The Boston Globe's Bob Hohler offers up a devastating account of the Biggest Collapse Ever, which spares very few members of the Red Sox family—from the owners to the manager to key players.It is a scathing indictment of the culture that was allowed to grow on Yawkey Way—reminiscent of the "25 cabs for 25 players" days of yore. Only Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury (isolated from most teammates), Alfredo Aceves and Jonathan Papelbon escape any blame for the ruinous antics that went on behind the scenes.
Jon Tomase's Herald beer-drinking story was confirmed—adding ordered-in fried chicken and video games to the mix. All done by most of the starting pitching staff during games. Supposedly, Terry Francona had wanted "all hands on deck" in the dugout, but rarely got it. (EDITOR'S NOTE: See what we experienced in June that should have given us an inkling of what was going on).
Tito himself is portrayed as a skipper losing his grip—saddled by a crumbling marriage and use of painkillers. This is "As The World Turns" material!
All in all, this team—led by a few starting pitchers—quit on their manager, their GM, their owners and most importantly they quit on us, the fans. It will take a lot to win our respect back.