Sydney, Australia. This time, the hitherto hapless New Ownership Group can't be faulted. The appointment of John Farrell as manager is probably the smartest decision they've made in a very long time. Farrell knows Boston and Boston likes Farrell—to me, he has a liberal touch of Francona about him and hopefully, he'll inject just a little touch of Tito into his managerial style.
But, ever the pessimist, I urge caution as we wind up 2012 and get ready for Spring Training—don't expect miracles, do not anticipate a 180 degree turnabout in performance or attitudes and do not—repeat do not—expect a sure ride to a post-season berth in 2013. Just let the man do his job—and for heaven's sake, give him some time. The broken machine that Valentine left behind, still sitting on blocks over there on Yawkey Way, is still missing some parts and needs a little gentle and judicious tinkering to get it running again and the fine tuning will likely continue well into the first part of the season. Let's hope the Media Pack will have enough brains to realize that fact and give Farrell a grace period before they start donning the sackcloth and ashes, tearing their hair and moaning about losses. He deserves at least that courtesy.
So, we go what we wanted—a manager most of us can agree about. But, let's be clear—there are now no more excuses left for this team. Long strings of L's, lackluster performance and general malaise can no longer be attributed to the poisonous atmosphere generated by Farrell's predecessor. From Day One of 2013, it's going to be all on the players. Let's hope they deliver.