I vividly remember the 2011 season, when the Red Sox famously collapsed coming down the stretch to miss the playoffs. Yankees fans refused to hear, let alone listen to any sentiment that even hinted at any sort of positivity with regards to the 2011 Red Sox season. In didn’t matter that the Red Sox were 81-40 – one of the highest winning percentages in baseball history over a 120+ game stretch – through more than 3/4 of the season. Nope, it just didn’t matter.

I’m happy to say that in the last week, the tides have begun to turn.

The Yankees first place finish, fancy record, and all of their superstars are no longer seen in the positive light they should be – now the negativity is all the focus. It’s not just Red Sox fans looking at the Yankees this way – it’s seemingly the whole country. Following arguably the worst offensive performance in ALCS history, the Yankees are is disarray. They weren’t not clutch; they were pitiful. The highest paid player in MLB history suddenly needs to be moved and is flirting with girls in the stands during playoff games. Bros throughout New York who have for years worshipped Nick Swisher are now calling for his head. Curtis Granderson’s 43 home runs suddenly don’t matter, but his .232 average and 195 strikeouts do. Derrick Jeter and Mariano Riveria are old as dirt, just two of the veterans on the oldest roster in baseball.

What are the Yankees to do? I don’t know, but I’m happy to say that their biggest division rival has taken a significant step towards righting their own ship. John Farrell is coming back to Boston, and yes, he is the right man to lead a rebuilding Red Sox franchise.

Let’s start by getting a few things straight – John Farrell is  not Terry Francona. He’s not as charismatic, he’s not a “players manager” to the extent that Tito was. But he is a guy that’s respected by the veterans, who can handle pitchers, and who is solid at evaluating talent. While Farrell had some mixed results in his years managing Toronto, it should be noted that other teams were quick to gobble him up and make him a big league manager – the Red Sox aren’t the only ones that see something in this guy. Perhaps more importantly, Farrell served as the Director of Player Development for the Cleveland Indians from 2001 to 2006. In 2003 and 2004 Cleveland would be voted the “Organization of the Year” by Sports Weekly. In 2003 the same publication voted Cleveland as having the best farm system in baseball.

Don’t get me wrong – John Farrell is no savior, and I don’t think he’ll ever be what Terry Francona was to the organization. But that’s also not a fair comparison. What I do think Farrell will bring is stability, a bit more rigidity, and an eye for evaluating young talent – which is exactly what the Red Sox need. He’ll also immediately garner the respect that Bobby Valentine never could.

All in all, Mike Aviles is a solid infielder but I’m happy to sacrifice him to bring in this much more important piece of the puzzle. Red Sox rebuilding? So far, so good.

Bobby Valentine. It just seems like a good name to curse, doesn’t it? Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that. I think Valentine was definitely the right pick out of the two finalists for the Red Sox managerial position, but if there’s one thing I know it’s this; Valentine’s stay in Boston will not go OK – it with either be a huge success ending in a championship, or he’ll flop his way out of Boston like a trout in the Charles. The good news is that in Bobby V I see pretty huge upside. Here are five reasons that he could be just what the Doctor (Ben Cherington) ordered.

1) Managerial Experience – Valentine has managed 2,189 major league baseball games, split over 15 seasons between the Texas Rangers and the New York Mets. Experienced managers win the World Series with new teams more often than less experienced managers, so we’ve got that going for us.

2) Playoff success – Valentine was able to lead the New York Mets to the NLCS in 1999, then to the World Series in 2000. Better yet, he was able to lead Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines to their first pennant and Japan Series title since 1974. This guy is revered in Japan. Now is his time to be revered in Boston.

3) A big personality – Everybody, myself included, considers Bobby Valentine to be something of a goof ball. He’s a big personality, at times outshining his own players. That might be just what Boston needs – someone who can deflect some attention off of the players.

4) His media background – In the past few years, Valentine has been working as an analyst for ESPN. Having been a part of the media himself, he knows the drill. The media spotlight in Boston shines perhaps the brightest of anywhere in baseball, and Bobby will soak it up. He’ll actually answer questions, likely with colorful answers, and will chew up much of the media’s time. This eases the burden on his players when it comes to post game press conferences, and Valentine’s thick skin will help prepare him that much more for Boston’s inevitable media onslaught.

5) The talent he has to work with – Despite his past successes both with the Mets and in Japan, Valentine has never had a lineup as talented as the one he will inherit in Boston. He’s set up for success with baseball’s best offense and a very good top three in the starting rotation. All he needs to do now is his job – managing the pieces effectively.

So at this point Bobby Valentine is sounding pretty great, right? What could possibly be his downfall? Valentine was a member of USC’s Sigma Chi fraternity, leaving me wondering… who will have a harder time keeping the beer out of the dugout, Josh Beckett or Bobby Valentine?

I’m looking forward to his press conference in Boston on Thursday – talk about an opportunity to set the tone for next season.

Ben Cherington, I’m rooting for you buddy. But with multiple sources now saying that the Red Sox managerial search is down to two candidates – Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont – I must admit that I’m skeptical. It certainly feels to me like the score is Theo 1, Ben 0. Dale Sveum got away, and I can’t say that I’m surprised. I don’t blame Ben Cherington for this, as he had little shot of contending with Theo in my eyes. But I am holding Benny Boy responsible for selecting the Red Sox next manager, and I can’t say that I’m thrilled with either of these two candidates. My preference is for Valentine, and as Lamont is not nearly as well-known, I’ll focus on him here.

Gene Lamont… lifetime Chicago Cubs fan. I betcha he’s sad that Theo didn’t select him for the Cubs’ managerial vacancy. Lamont is currently the Detroit Tiger’s third base coach, and has spent much of his big league career following Jim Leyland around. At 65 years old, he’s nearly Leyland’s age. I’m not sure a 65-year-old is the right guy to connect in the Red Sox clubhouse, not to mention the right guy to have a long tenure in Boston. Let’s just say this guy doesn’t look to be super fit, and health concerns could be a serious issue. I mean, does anybody remember how ripped Terry Francona was?

Age being beside the point, let’s focus on Gene Lamont the baseball player. Lamont was a catcher, spending a total of 87 games in the bigs mostly as a back up catcher. For his career he hit .233 with 37 hits and 4 home runs. The highlight of his career was hitting a home run in his first career at bat… against the Red Sox. Needless to say, this is not a “but he was an awesome player” hire.

Now, let’s focus on his career as a Manager. Lamont had two stints as a manager, for the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates, respectively. Both times he landed the job when the club’s existing manager left. In 1993 Lamont did win AL Manager of the Year honors, when he led a Frank Thomas, Robin Ventura, Ellis Burks, and Jack McDowell led White Sox team to a 94-68 record before losing in the ALCS. He was then fired in 1995. In 1997, Lamont would take over the reigns of the Pirates when Jim Leyland left town. After some initial success with a lousy team, he was eventually fired in 2000. Overall, Lamont accumulated a 553-562 record in his managerial career, good for a .496 winning percentage.

To be fair, Lamont coached some lousy teams in Pittsburgh and had some good results with a young team. But neither his playing career nor his managerial career was filled with much success. There are plenty of guys that this is true of, who are still floating around the major leagues because they are great baseball minds. Many of them are bench coaches, or base coaches like Lamont. He may very well be one of them, and I hope for the sake of the Red Sox that he is. But let’s just say that his resume would never have found its way to the top of my pile.

This is Cherington’s first major decision as GM, and one on which his which his own personal success (and likely his job) hinges.  Here’s to hoping that Ben Cherington knows something about Lamont that we all don’t.

Thank you, Terry Francona. While there is little that has not been said over the past week regarding Francona or his Red Sox team, one thing I think every Bostonian owes Francona is a Thank You. While the sting of this year’s collapse has left many disgusted or frustrated, let’s not forget where the Red Sox were before Francona came aboard. They hadn’t won World Series in 86 years and were fresh off of a crushing loss in the 2003 ALCS. In the subsequent 8 years Francona would win 2 World Series titles (the most in baseball over that stretch) and compile a .584 winning percentage (2nd best over that period). He managed a cast of characters called idiots, he managed Manny Ramirez. He managed in the toughest market in baseball, and he managed to win games while winning the respect and admiration of his players.

While I can’t say that I ever even remotely liked Kevin Kennedy, Jimy Williams, or Grady Little, Francona was a “players manager” from day one – exactly the type of coach I would want to play for. But don’t take it from me – take it from Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia:

“I love him. He’s given me every opportunity in the world and given me the respect to play the game with a freedom, and that’s what he allows us players to do. Geez, man, he’s done everything for me and everything for my family … he’s done everything for me in the five years I’ve been in the big leagues. My heart’s broken for him and I wish he was back and I wish I could have played my whole career for him. It’s going to be hard. I’m sure he’ll come back a better manager and a better person for it. Us, as an organization, we’re going to move forward together.”

How many of you out there could say the same about your boss? There’s no doubt that many of the Red Sox core players – Pedroia, Youkilis, Ortiz, Lester, Beckett, Papelbon – all echo the sentiments expressed here by Pedroia. It’s unfortunate that these guys will have to move forward without Francona at the helm, and I know it will hurt their chances of resigning some players – David Ortiz included.

You also have to give it to Terry for his press conference where he announced that he’d be leaving – Francona left as he entered, spilling class out of his pockets the entire way. He was frustrated in his ability to get results out of this team. He was frustrated by this team not coming together as others have done. He took full responsibility for not getting the job done.

“It’s hard, man, with the way we played this year, but by no means is it Tito’s fault,” said Pedroia. “We get paid a lot of money and the biggest thing that I am upset with, and I think a lot of guys are upset with, is the accountability of each other. It’s not the manager’s fault. We need to hold ourselves more accountable as a team, as players. That’s basically it, but Tito’s had every single guy’s back in that clubhouse from Day 1.”

Francona identified a need for “a new voice” in Boston, and hey, maybe he’s right. Perhaps Francona’s time in Boston did run its course, perhaps his ability to effect his team’s attitude and play has declined. That said, I have no doubt that the best man for the job will not be with the Red Sox next season. That is unfortunate, and I have no idea who will be Francona’s replacement (talk about tough shoes to fill).

All that’s left to do is thank Terry for his time in Boston – Red Sox fans will forever be indebted to the man. And all we can do now is look forward to next season with hope – hope that Theo can find us the new right man for the job, hope that the Sox can iron our their issues and come back as strong as ever next season.

Boston may be short a manager, but Boston is never short on hope.