REDSOX REVIEW 2006
 

Boy ,,Theo looks real bad in this ...:fishslap:

And yes I also think he needs a fish slap or 3 :fishslap: :fishslap: :fishslap:


I'll tell you who won't win executive of the year
September 7, 2006

Every year, the Sporting News sends out ballots to two executives from each MLB team so they can vote for our Major League Executive of the Year award. The ballots go out in September and are returned by early October -- before we're too deep into the playoffs.

Two years ago, as the ballots came filtering in, I was stunned that Theo Epstein received not a single vote from his colleagues. This, remember, was 2004, the year the Red Sox would win the World Series. This was the year Epstein had traded for Curt Schilling, signed Keith Foulke and made a blockbuster deal at the deadline that sent Nomar Garciaparra packing and transformed the Red Sox defense, which transformed their entire season.

And not a single vote. I figured the other execs -- virtually all of whom had been around awhile -- did not want to see the young whiz kid win their award. Perhaps they wanted him to pay some dues, perhaps they were a bit envious.

Well, if those execs were envious then, I wonder if they are chuckling now. Theo certainly should be humbled all that has transpired in the past year.

First there was last offseason, when he left the Red Sox in a huff only to return months later with more power and his star label still intact. Seeing how the season has played out, his offseason shenanigans look kind of silly now.

There will be no postseason for the Red Sox this year, which will give their faithful more time to look at why the season went awry. Among the reasons to consider:


Theo didn't do anything at the deadline.

The Sox shouldn't have traded for Josh Beckett (not to mention giving him a fat contract extension), considering that Anibal Sanchez was part of the price. The other part was Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez, who has had a better season than the shortstop the Red Sox signed as a free agent, former Marlin Alex Gonzalez.

Bronson Arroyo seemed expendable when Theo traded him to Cincinnati for Wily Mo Pena at the end of spring training. But considering that Julian Tavarez is now part of the Red Sox rotation, the Sox certainly would seem to have more use for Arroyo than Pena.

Because the club let Johnny Damon sign with the Yankees, it had to find a center fielder. So they got Coco Crisp for hot prospect Andy Marte, catcher Kelly Shoppach and Guillermo Mota. That's a high price for a player who has done so little there's been talk that he'll be traded in the offseason.

If the Sox had kept Shoppach, perhaps he could have handled Tim Wakefield, which would have meant the club would not have needed to re-acquire Doug Mirabelli. The price for Mirabelli was Cla Meredith, a 23-year-old reliever who has allowed only three earned runs in his 33 appearances for the Padres -- none since July 17.
That's a lot of moves that haven't gone the Red Sox' way. Still, I blame injuries for the club's second-half downfall more than any moves or non-moves made by Theo and his front office.

But Theo's going to take his hits and at least this time, I won't be surprised when he doesn't get any votes for executive of the year

:buds: