The 5.5 Hole

Most off-seasons are headlined by free agency.  This one is no exception.  The difference this season lies with the managers.  There are three vacancies at the helm of some high-profile clubs.  Unlike other managerial hunts for teams like the Nationals, Marlins, A's, and Astros, this hunt features some of the most coveted positions in baseball.

The Chicago Cubs, The St. Louis Cardinals, and the Boston Red Sox are all looking for new managers.  The Cubs just fired Mike Quade today.  Tony LaRussa announced his retirement Monday.  Terry Francona left Boston shortly after the Red Sox implosion at the end of September.  Three big name ball clubs are now searching for replacements.

The Cubs and Theo Epstein announced their next manager would need to have prior coaching or managerial experience on the big-league level.  Whether this will be the case when the new manager is ultimately hired remains to be seen.  People say things all the time, then change their minds.  However, limiting the search to people with Major League experience is the right move for Chicago.  The emotional, fan-driven reaction would be to hire Ryne Sandberg.  Sandberg is a fan favorite and is currently managing in Triple-A, but he is wrong for Chicago with Theo Epstein as the team President and Jed Hoyer as the GM.  Theo Epstein knows what type of manager he wants.  Jed Hoyer knows what type of manager can get the best out of the talent currently available.  Theo worked with Terry Francona, and together they saw unparalleled success in Boston.  Jed Hoyer watched Bud Black lead the Padres, with no real contributors outside Adrian Gonzalez, to 90 wins in 2010.  He followed that up to a decent 2011 considering this team didn't even have Adrian Gonzalez.  The Cubs don't need a rookie at the big-league level leading the club.  They need someone with experience who can coexist with Epstein's and Hoyer's player-evaluation methods, out-of-the-box thinking, and potential meddling.  Sandberg is not that person. 

Sandberg may, however, be the person to take over St. Louis.  Reports started popping up today that the Cardinals had asked the Phillies (the host club of the Minor League affiliate Sandberg manages) if they could interview Sandberg.  Perhaps these reports were designed to drive Cubs' fans crazy after they heard Epstein all but shoot down the idea of Sandberg ever coming to Chicago.  Perhaps they are legitimate.  Either way, Sandberg is a better fit in St. Louis.  The club is already built for success, even without Pujols.  In fact, should Sandberg take of and Pujols sign elsewhere, Sandberg would have a built in safety net for expectations of the 2012 season.  If they don't succeed, 'Hey, Sandberg is new and he didn't even have Pujols.'  If they do succeed, 'Hey, this Sandberg guy can even win without Pujols.'  Obviously the dynamic changes a bit if Pujols returns, but Sandberg would be a good fit in St. Louis regardless. 

The Red Sox remain the mystery.  All three of these clubs have been linked to the same available names and faces.  Yet, the Red Sox have not even hinted what direction they may go.  Filling Francona's shoes will be difficult.  He won two World Series, made the play-offs five times, and was a well-liked manager in Boston.  Whoever takes over will have his work cut out for him.  The Red Sox are dealing with drama from all angles.  They will have to rebuild from more than just a personnel standpoint.  Clubhouse cohesiveness will need to be addressed.  This may not be the most desirable job out there.

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder may dominate the off-season headlines, but filling managerial openings with these three clubs could be bigger news.  The Cubs are on a quest to overwrite history and win a World Series.  The Cardinals are looking to turn the page.  And the Red Sox are just trying to recover.  One of the more interesting off-seasons in recent memory is ahead of us following one of the more interesting postseasons. 

Baseball is good. 

Every now and again, there will be a change in baseball that shakes the very core of the game. Many may not consider Terry Francona's departure from the Red Sox one of these changes, but I do. This departure, whether it be mutual, forced, or otherwise, will not only affect the Red Sox from a managerial standpoint, it will affect the entire organization. Like an earthquake centered in New England, the loss of Francona will reverberate not just in Boston, but in entire baseball east. Maybe further.

Let's start with what seems obvious. Terry Francona was the best manager the Red Sox ever had. For a franchise buried beneath generations of failure, the combination of Theo Epstein and Terry Francona proved to be the savior Red Sox Nation needed. They won two World Series in the last ten years and have been competitive every year. But now comes life after Francona, and maybe life after Epstein.

Sure many will point to the reported disconnect between Francona and Epstein as reason for Epstein to celebrate the loss of his manager and continue on in peace as the Red Sox general manager. Yet, Theo, like Francona, has done just about everything he could do with Boston. He has the opportunity to be challenged elsewhere, to find success in another city buried under years of failure. Epstein may stick around Boston, but the consensus seems to be he's willing to look elsewhere.

Francona will land somewhere else. He will be allowed to start fresh, to command the respect of a clubhouse from day one rather than fight to win it back on a daily basis, and to utilize his talents as a manager in a way less scrutinized by the front office.

Yes, Francona and Epstein may move on, but will Boston? John Henry's Yankee-fighting juggernaut is being dismantled. Dirty laundry is being thrown from the windows. Rumors and truth are swirling together like a deadly elixir. The Red Sox are at a fork in the road even if Epstein sticks around. Seasons like this one tend to carry on and follow a team like an unwanted cat. One wrong signing in the offseason, the wrong managerial choice, or even a bad piece of off-field publicity could send this team from perennial competitor to a fight and scratch type club.

The potential falling of the Red Sox could open the door for Toronto and Tampa. Toronto continues to have winning seasons, but also continues to fall short of the play-offs. Tampa Bay has one of the best GM/Manager combinations in all of baseball. They continue to succeed with minimal payroll and should benefit from any hiccup in the Red Sox winning ways.

Boston, as of right now, has only lost Terry Francona. But that loss may be more than anyone could have ever guessed. It could lead to a domino-style destruction of the Red Sox to which we have grown accustomed. Tito gave the Sox everything he had. They rewarded him with respect and titles for so long. But when that faded, he and the organization had little choice but to part ways. Where both parties go from here remains anyone's guess.

For anyone who missed it, the last two days of baseball have been the greatest in history.  In history!  More specifically, last night was the greatest single night in regular season history.  These were games 162 for the teams involved, but there was no question, last night was play-off baseball. 

Many will argue last night's place in history, but until someone gives me a scenario greater than four teams battling for the final two play-off spots with two of those teams on the verge of the greatest comebacks in history, last night ranks supreme.  You don't need a recap, but here you go.

The Rays were nine games behind the Red Sox in the AL Wild Card chase when September kicked off.  The Cardinals were eight and a half games behind the Braves in very early September.  Both of these teams went on incredible runs to pull into a Wild Card tie heading into the last game of the season.  This set up the picture-in-picture creator's dream situation.  Four games, all with play-off implications.  The Rays were facing the Yankees, the Red Sox were facing the Orioles, the Cardinals were facing the Astros, and the Braves were facing the Phillies. 

But even with the drama leading into last night, no one could have predicted the excitement that was yet to come.  The fan bases in Boston and Atlanta will never see the beauty of last night.  I understand that.  As a Padres fan who watched that team lose a one-game play-off to the Rockies in thrilling fashion in 2007, I understand the pain of defeat will always block out the euphoria of baseball greatness. 

The Cardinals quickly put pressure on the Braves by running away with their game.  And the Braves seemed to respond.  With a one-run lead going into the ninth, they had their great rookie closer, Craig Kimbrel, on the mound.  But he blew it.  The Red Sox were leading in the seventh when rain threatened to end the game.  But after a delay of about an hour and half, the game resumed with the Red Sox maintaining their lead into the ninth.  But the Red Sox dominant closer, Jonathan Papelbon, blew it.  The Rays seemed dead in the water all game.  They were losing 7-0 until the bottom of the eighth.  Then magic happened.  The Rays scored six runs, capped by an Evan Longoria three-run home run, and headed into the ninth down only one run.  In the ninth, Dan Johnson happened.  In the 12th, Evan Longoria happened again. 

I've seen the footage of Bobby Thompson's walk-off home run to clinch the pennant for the New York Giants.  They were a team that came back from 13 games back late in August.  Until now, they were the greatest comeback story in baseball history.  I've seen Kirk Gibson's famous home run with two bad knees, I've seen Pudge Fisk waving his home run fair, Joe Carter winning the World Series, and Albert Pujols keeping hope alive for the Cardinals in 2005. 

Last night's home runs by Dan Johnson and Evan Longoria were better than any of those.  I have never been as excited in my life for a single night of baseball as I was last night.  Dan Johnson kept the excitement alive.  In the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, he stepped to the plate.  Dan Johnson?  Really?  He was batting under .200 and had one tater on the year.  It seemed like he was up there just praying he didn't make the final out that ended the Rays season.  With two strikes, he showed me he was up there to keep the Rays alive.  With a laser-shot over the right field wall, Dan Johnson placed himself in history with one of the greatest, most dramatic home runs in history.  Then, Evan Longoria topped him.

In the bottom of the 12th, Evan Longoria stepped to the plate literally seconds after the crowd made it clear that Baltimore had tied the game against Boston.  As Longoria was battling Scott Proctor, the crowd once again came to life.  The Orioles had just scored the winning run against Boston.  The Rays were at very least guaranteed a one-game play-off and maybe a Wild Card berth that night.  Longoria left little time to think about the possibilities.  Four minutes after Baltimore beat Boston, Longoria connected on another laser-shot.  This one, barely clearing the left field wall, placed Longoria on a very short list.  He became only the second player in history to clinch a play-off berth with a walk-off home run on the final day of the season.  Bobby Thompson, meet Evan Longoria. 

These last two days make me wonder if the postseason can top this.  Maybe we should end the season now.  What a wonderful chain of events that lead us to the magic and drama of last night.  Some will use last night as a call to keep the play-off format as is.  Some will still claim the season is far too long.  The fact is, the play-off format is what it is this year.  If the season were shorter, we would have had a Braves team and a Red Sox team limping into the play-offs.  This type of excitement cannot happen in football or basketball.  The NFL's season does not allow for great comebacks in the standings.  The NBA allows just about every team into their postseason. 

Now that it's all over, take a breath, forget about baseball for a day, because play-offs start Friday.  And I can't wait. 

There's a feeling every kid has when the holidays approach. It's one of wonder, hope, excitement and joy. It's a feeling that I had always thought could never be duplicated. But I have that feeling now. I can feel it in my stomach, I can taste it on my tongue, and I can see it in the air.

A play-off race (or two) so close that it will come down to the last day of the season is the equivalent of Christmas. Its approach seems to take forever, but once it arrives nothing else can penetrate your thoughts. You count the days and hope you get something good. You sneak a peak at the presents under the tree and realize, you've got more than you thought.

After 160 games, we all have more than we thought under the tree. The Red Sox and Rays are tied for the Wild Card. The Braves have only a one game lead in the NL. These last two days will give us exactly what last season gave us. Play-off races down to the end of the season. The Padres, the Giants, and the Braves were all vying for two postseason spots last year. This year, four teams are battling for two spots.

The season will be coming to a close, and a new one will start soon. Like the transitioning seasons that offer a prelude to the holiday season, these changing seasons bring a prelude to baseball excitement. The anticipation of filling the final two spots is unlike anything else except Christmas as a kid. So bring on tomorrow's games and bring on Wednesday's games. Bring on the present as we look forward to the future. This is baseball, this is life, this is my Christmas.

After 14 innings, Boston had something to celebrate.  No, they didn't clinch the Wild Card.  They didn't clinch anything, in fact.  Except maybe some breathing room.  With Tampa Bay winning their game Sunday and Boston losing the first game of their double-header with New York, game two was a must win.  And if you think the Yankees were going to just roll over since they had already clinched everything they could clinch, you'd be dead wrong.

Brett Gardner's steal, playing the in-field in, Mo in the 9th.  The Yankees were playing to spoil the Red Sox season.  And that's what would have happened had Boston lost this game.  Had they lost, the Rays would have been tied with them for the Wild Card and the Angels would have been just one game back.  Instead, both the Red Sox and Yankees played like this was game seven of the World Series, and finally in the 14th inning, the Red Sox broke through with three runs to win it. 

Let's take a look at what this game really means.  Both the Rays and the Red Sox have three games left.  The Red Sox have three against the Orioles, the Rays three against the Yankees.  The Red Sox have their three on the road, and the Rays have their three at home.  The Yankees would be setting their postseason rotation, so the Rays likely won't see the Yankees' best.  The Orioles, on the other hand, have nothing but pride on the line.  Teams like this love to play spoiler, and their fans would love to see them knock the Red Sox out of the play-offs. 

What else?  Well, had Boston lost, they would have completed the biggest collapse in baseball history.  No one had ever had a 9-game lead on September 1st then blown it.  That's exactly what would have happened had the Red Sox lost game two of the double-header.  Sure, there are more games to play and a loss yesterday would not have precluded the Sox from the postseason, but it would have completed a meltdown of historic proportions. 

Let's not forget the added momentum the Rays would have taken from a Red Sox loss.  The Rays are already hot, despite three straight losses to the Yankees last week.  This time around, the Rays will be playing for their postseason lives.  The Yankees will likely be resting their starters.  Tampa Bay, if their fans actually come out to the park, will be rocking in hopes of a miraculous play-off berth. 

Yes, a Boston loss in game two of that double-header yesterday would have changed things, but these last three games should be intense.  While a tie leading into these last three games would have been more interesting, and it will still take quite a bit of work for the Rays to pull of this upset, play-off baseball has already started.