In a wide-ranging interview on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Felger And Mazz Show, new Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington (christened "BenCher" by FN Editor Bill Collins) opined on the following:• He stated that his management style "will be different from Theo's"—primarily because he relies on input from a wide range of 'empowered' colleagues, with the implication that Theo did not;
• He will look for a 'balance' between objective (read: stats) and subjective (read: scouts) analysis;
• He said he supported the Lackey signing, saying it was part of the search for (wait for it) 'run prevention';
• He said Kalish and Reddick will 'compete' for the RF job—along with a mystery player who will be right-handed;
• He said he was not aware of beer drinking during games in the clubhouse, but did know that some pitchers imbibed after a start;
• He defended Beckett as "one of the best pitchers in the American League this year" and said he was confident that he still had the fire in the belly to compete and win;
• He said that Daniel Bard had "enough talent" to pitch in different roles (read: they are seriously considering him for the rotation).