After nearly a decade of relative prosperity, the last three months have been fairly brutal for Red Sox Nation. In September, we endured a collapse that resulted in the Red Sox being edged out of the playoffs on the last day of the season in the most cruel of fashions. In October, we not only lost our iconic manager and general manager, but also were bombarded with endless reports of clubhouse disharmony and over-the-top op ed pieces demanding the organization clean house. Initially, it appeared that November would have a different tone. With new General Manager, Ben Cherington, firmly in place, the Red Sox began their comprehensive managerial search. They brought in five capable, albeit diverse, candidates to interview for the position. Dale Sveum, former Red Sox third base coach and current Brewers hitting coach, instantly became the front runner for the position. As news started swirling of Sveum being the only candidate being brought in for a second interview, the inevitability of his hiring grew. As we now know, it wasn’t as inevitable as it’d seemed. Yesterday, he was hired to be the Cubs manager.
Given the drama surrounding the club recently, Sveum’s decision to choose Chicago over Boston has created a brand new firestorm of criticism among the most vocal sportswriters and Red Sox Nation’s lunatic fringe. In his latest column for Over the Monster, Ben Buchanan tries to add a bit of perspective to Sveum’s decision, adding that we shouldn’t care that Sveum is the new Cubs manager.
“Ripping the Red Sox for their failure to lock up Sveum seems to be the “in” thing to do today. Ken Rosenthal had his shot last night when it was first becoming clear that the former third base coach was likely Chicago-bound, complete with fried chicken references. Ironically, Rosenthal suggested the Sox should want to bring back the manager who lost control of the clubhouse to the point where that occured, but logic is overrated when compared to tired fall-backs like that.
I digress, though. What really gets me is that Rosenthal fails to answer the same question everyone else who’s rushing to attack the Red Sox ignores: when did Dale Sveum become a future Hall of Famer?”
Ben’s right. Since being announced as a managerial candidate, those throughout the media, blogosphere, and Red Sox Nation have had decidedly mixed feelings about the former Red Sox third base coach. While I’ll fully admit my initial reaction was less than favorable, my mood quickly changed once I came to the realization his previous job was vastly different from (and in no way related to) the job for which he was interviewing. Now that Sveum has decided to take the Cubs job, everyone seems to be overreacting about losing a potential manager they weren’t completely sold on in the first place.
Sveum could very well end up becoming a very good manager, but it’s just as possible he flops. He was given an opportunity to manage in Milwaukee on an interim basis at the end of the 2008 season. He finished with a 7-5 record in 12 games, and led the team during their four game series loss in the NLDS to the eventual World Series champion Philadephia Phillies. After the season, the Brewers held managerial interviews, and Sveum was one of the candidates being considered. Rather than going with the guy they knew, the Brewers hired former Oakland A’s manager Ken Macha to lead the team. Macha didn’t stick around for long, and was fired after consecutive losing seasons. They began another managerial search, and this time, Sveum wasn’t even considered for the position. They eventually hired former Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke.
While I don’t want to make too many inferences from this, I can’t help but wonder if there was a specific reason the Brewers decided not to hire Sveum for their top field job either time they had an opening. Perhaps they saw something in his style that made them back away. Having not been in the meetings, I can’t know for sure. If they did see something, it doesn’t mean their rationale was correct, but it should bring up a cautionary red flag.
With Sveum officially off the board, it appears the Red Sox will re-open their managerial search. Yesterday, multiple sources reported that the Red Sox have reached out to former Rangers and Mets manager (and Nick Cafardo BFF) Bobby Valentine about their managerial opening. Word is he’s very interested in the position, but many suspect he would not be a good fit with the Red Sox’s organizational approach to managing. Tampa Bay bench coach, Dave Martinez, who was named in early pre-interview rumors could re-emerge as a candidate, as could Toronto manager John Farrell (provided Blue Jay management changes their position on lateral moves). The Red Sox are still considering three of their original candidates: Torey Lovullo, Gene Lamont, and Sandy Alomar, Jr. As of the moment though, second interviews have not been scheduled.
While it’s unfortunate the Red Sox didn’t land the front runner for their managerial job, it’s possible management didn’t think Sveum was the right fit. After all, they didn’t extend him an offer after their three hour meeting with him earlier this week. Still, it’s no time to panic. The Red Sox didn’t name Terry Francona as their manager until the first week of December in 2003. There’s plenty of time to make a decision. I’d rather management be deliberate in finding the right man for the job, rather than pick someone now in hopes of placating the masses.