The Boston Red Sox's historic September collapse expedited the departure of manager Terry Francona and, possibly, general manager Theo Epstein, who could be hours away from accepting a similar job with the Chicago Cubs.
Now, more details are emerging of a clubhouse culture that turned toxic at times, exacerbated by the club's 7-20 tailspin to finish the season.
In an exhaustive chronicle of the Red Sox's collapse, the Boston Globe portrays a dysfunctional organization at several levels, from upper management coddling disgruntled players by offering them yacht trips and headphones, to a manager marginalized by personal problems and outsized egos, to players described as the "least dedicated group" in Francona's eight-year tenure.
The Globe story -- based on numerous interviews with individuals familiar with the Red Sox organization, many requesting anonymity for fear of reprisal -- indicates a clubhouse that was fractured by varying levels of effort and commitment:
For every player committed to the team's conditioning program, there was a slacker. For every Sox regular who rose early on the road to take optional batting practice, there were others who never bothered. For every player who dedicated himself to the quest for a championship, there were too many distracted by petty personal issues.
This atmosphere seemingly was enabled by upper management; Francona, ultimately, was powerless to reverse it.
A look at the pressure points in a season gone badly awry:
The Pitchers: Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey, the top three pitchers in the rotation, were apparently unmoved by the team's struggles down the stretch. The trio got into the habit of drinking beer, eating fast-food fried chicken and playing video games in the clubhouse during games, according to Globe sources; starting pitchers' penchant for in-game beer drinking was also previously reported by the Boston Herald. Beckett, Lester and Lackey also joined other teammates in not working out as often, and the result was a combined 2-7 record with a 6.45 ERA in September. The Globe said the pitchers' agents did not respond to messages.
The Players: Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury, a leading candidate for the AL MVP Award, and second baseman Dustin Pedroia avoided most of the nasty allegations, with sources telling the Globe that only Pedroia and a few other players remained fully committed to winning. Ellsbury put up historic numbers (32 home runs, 105 RBI, 39 stolen bases) for a leadoff man but mostly kept his interaction with teammates to infielder Jed Lowrie, this as a result of third baseman Kevin Youkilis questioning Ellsbury's dedication a year ago when he was rehabbing a rib injury in Arizona.
Meanwhile, Youkilis became more detached as he tried to overcome his injuries. DH David Ortiz openly second-guessed Francona's strategy of not using reliever Alfredo Aceves in the rotation. First baseman Adrian Gonzalez, while productive on the field, displayed a lack of leadership skills and passion and complained in September about scheduling quirks. And Carl Crawford, the Sox's other big offseason acquisition, failed to live up to expectations, even as ownership was divided on whether to give him the $142 million deal he eventually signed.
The Manager: Francona said he knew it was time to move on when he and the club parted ways last month. While it was clear he was dealing with a clubhouse filled with dysfunction, the Globe says there were many external factors weighing on Francona, including marital problems, health issues and the stress of having a son and son-in-law, both Marine officers, serving in Afghanistan.
Francona disputed the notion -- raised by sources cited in the story -- that his managerial ability was compromised by his use of painkillers. Francona had October 2010 knee surgery and had blood drained from his knee several times during the season; he told the Globe he consulted the club's internist during spring training about his use of medication. "I went and saw the proper people and it was not an issue," Francona told the Globe. "It never became an issue, and anybody who knew what was going on knows that."
The Turning Point: The Red Sox swept a doubleheader against the Oakland A's on Saturday, Aug. 27, but it also signaled the beginning of the team's epic fall, according to the Globe. The doubleheader was scheduled to avoid a potential rainout on Aug. 28, as Hurricane Irene made its way up the coast. But numerous players protested after playing 14 of 17 games on the road, and accused management of caring more about making money than winning, according to the Globe. In the days after the doubleheader, ownership started to wonder if the team's flagging play -- the Red Sox lost 10 of 13 after sweeping the twinbill -- was fallout from the scheduling conflict. So they gave each player $300 headphones and invited them to a players-only party on owner John Henry's yacht when they returned from a road trip on Sept. 11.
The timing couldn't have been less appropriate. The Red Sox finished that trip by getting swept in a three-game series at Tampa Bay; their lead in the wild-card race, at six games entering that series, was suddenly cut to three.
Two weeks later, the Rays caught, and then passed, the Red Sox, sending them into an offseason of tumult that could rival the season preceding it.
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