The announcement came late Saturday night -- the Red Sox had found their man.
John Farrell, former manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, takes over the team in one of its darkest hours.
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| Photo by: Getty Images |
Not long after Valentine's departure, the hunt for a new manager began. Four other candidates were interviewed along with Farrell; Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach, New York Yankees bench coach Tony Pena, San Diego Padres special assistant Brad Ausmus, and Baltimore Orioles third base coach DeMarlo Hale.
All seemed capable prospects, but Farrell stood out the most.
Farrell got his start in the coaching in 1997, when he became the assistant at his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, where he stayed through the 2001 season. In 2006, he got his major league coaching break thanks to his good friend and former teammate, Terry Francona.
Because of that break, this new position as manager will in fact be Farrell's second time around with the Sox. He served as the team's pitching coach through 2010.
During the 2010 offseason, the Toronto Blue Jays announced Farrell as their new manager. They went 81-81 in his first year as skipper, and 73-89 in 2012.
Not bad considering it was Toronto.
After the epic train wreck that was this season, Boston was willing to do just about anything to try to make things better. Farrell brings a new face and a new attitude to a collapsing clubhouse. Red Sox Nation is hoping he'll also bring a new energy to the team as well, and with that, a better product on the field in 2013.
Luckily for Boston, once you've hit rock bottom, you can only go up.
I think Farrell is a great hire for this club. He knows most of the players from already holding a recent staff spot and he's a serious manager that doesn't put up with crap. Just because he's relatively unknown doesn't matter if he can do the job.
ReplyDeleteAgreed and his connection to Francona can surely raise the chemistry in the clubhouse (unlike Valentine).
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