Scott Cordischi On Sports: Epstein A Cub?

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Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalProv Sports Editor

Apparently Terry Francona won’t be the only “fall guy” for the disaster that was the 2011 Boston Red Sox season. Various reports suggest that general manager Theo Epstein will likely become the Chicago Cubs next GM and that they are currently trying to negotiate a deal with Boston for his services.

The disappointing part about Francona and Epstein leaving Boston is that the real culprits – the players – aren’t the ones being held accountable for the team’s failure.

Granted, you can’t fire all of the players, particularly those with many years and millions of dollars left on their guaranteed contracts. Still, they are the ones mostly responsible for the alleged drinking in the clubhouse and the team’s September collapse.

Will John Henry & Company make any attempt to hold them accountable? Who knows? Maybe they will bring in a manager who is much more of a disciplinarian than Francona was. That would be a start. They should also show the door to long-time veterans like Jason Varitek and Tim Wakefield. Letting David Ortiz go may also not be such a bad idea, albeit a risky move.

Still, it’s hard not to feel for Francona and Epstein because they are good guys who did a good job while here. Unfortunately, the players they either managed or acquired let them down and they are left to pay the price for their mistakes.

-I have yet to talk to one PC Friars fan who is excited at the prospect of seeing East Carolina or Central Florida play at the Dunk.

-Speaking of the Big East, it’s hard to shed a tear for them when they cry of being “raided” by other conferences when they raided Conference USA years ago to add schools like Louisville and Cincinnati among others and even the Atlantic 10 when they grabbed Rutgers and West Virginia.

-It seems strange to see Jets’ coach Rex Ryan at a loss for words, doesn’t it?

-Step back from the ledge Bruins fans, it’s only 3 games!

-The fact that BC athletic director Gene DeFilippo went public saying he personally tried to keep UConn out of the ACC is just another example of what an SOB he really is.

-I wish that all of these conference realignment moves made as much geographical sense as TCU joining the Big 12 does.

-Would anybody really be upset if the NBA had, say, a 40-game season as opposed to the usual 82-game regular season?

-Wes Welker continues to be my favorite Patriot.

-As much as I’d love to see the Red Sox in the ALCS, there’s something to be said for not having any of the big-money teams like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago in the playoffs.

-I love the Pats throwback uni’s.

-Rex Ryan keeps saying that his team has to get back to playing, “Jet football.” What exactly is “Jet football?” Miami, Buffalo and New England have all enjoyed at least a decade of dominance in the AFC East, not the Jets. So, is “Jet football” losing football?

-I can take a lot more weather like the stuff we’ve had over the past few days here in southern New England.

-Word is that the folks at Brown University will up the attendance figure from last week’s night game against URI to reflect a more accurate number than the low figure of 8,524 that was listed as the “official” attendance.

-Gene DeFilippo said that he wanted BC to be “the New England team” in the ACC in his argument against allowing UConn in. Someone needs to tell Gene that most of Massachusetts couldn’t care less about his Eagles, never mind the rest of New England.

-I know that it hasn’t happened yet, but I would love to see Jim Baron lead the Rhody Rams to the NCAA Tournament this year.

-A shorter NBA regular season could play into the hands of an aging veteran team like the Boston Celtics.

-The fact that the Matt Cassel-led New England Patriots went 11-5 in 2008 would lead you to believe that it’s more about the “X’s & O’s” and not the “Billy’s & Joe’s.”

-Then again, the play of the New England defense over the past few years would seem to indicate just the opposite.

-The (0-5) Indianapolis Colts are learning that they can’t compete without their best “Billy & Joe” Peyton Manning.

-The shift of power in the NFL may be heading back toward the NFC.

-I don’t having a burning desire, like some, to rip Chad Ocho Cinco. However, I will say that he has fallen well short of my expectations.

-Did you see where ex-Bear Tom Waddle ripped current Bear and former Patriot Brandon Meriweather for his “vicious” style of play?

-The Detroit Lions are now (5-0)? Really?

-Game 5 of the NLDS between St. Louis and Philadelphia was baseball at its best.

-Someone needs to tell Terry Francona to stick to managing because the broadcast booth is not his best place.

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