Should Red Sox Apologize to Fans?

A report in the

suggests that the Boston Red Sox should apologize to fans after a season that saw them fail to qualify for the post season on the last day of the regular season. With Boston slumping in September and blowing a nine-game lead for the wildcard spot has seen manager Terry Francona lose his job. This is the man who brought the World Series to Boston for the first time in 86 years in 2004, and won the team a second in 2007. Still, sports fans are fickle and, when the Red Sox lost to Baltimore 4-3 on Wednesday night, and Tampa Bay beat New York, Francona's fate was sealed. Without question, this past season was not a good one for the Red Sox. But surely Francona has earned the right to a bit of faith in his ability to build a team. After all, with 744 wins he is second on the franchise's all-time managerial leaders. So what does the team have to apologize for? Be fair – that wildcard spot went down to the last day of the season. Did the Red Sox finish anywhere close to the bottom of their division? No. Francona has ultimately been a victim of his own success. He had the audacity to raise the expectations of the Boston people, who have now gone a FULL four years without a title. Not 86 years, four years. So, according to the Boston Business Journal, “Fans are calling for a baseball version of a product recall. Some parts definitely need to be replaced. But before that process begins, what the customers need to hear is something that remains too rare in business: A full and sincere apology from the top.” “Larry Lucchino and Theo Epstein need to apologize publicly and profusely and as soon as possible. Why them when it was the players who stunk up the place and the coaches who mismanaged the talent? Because they ultimately are responsible. They built this team and promoted their roster as one of the best ever. They invested deeply in questionable talent. They failed to make the right trades. They screwed up at least as much as the players did.” Apparently, sports fans are have shorter memories than any of us could have predicted. Here in Detroit, any owners and managers who brought us two World Series titles would be given the freedom of the city and possibly made Mayor.