Guess you didn't read the article too closely since it specifically took shots at Tek and Wakefield for being part of the problem.
It did NOT take shots at Papelbon.
JD Drew is gone because his contract is up. Why people like yourself don't just acknowledge it is beyond me.
I closely read every word of the article, and, as you later suggested in your own post, I'm not taking it all at face value. There's a lot of illuminating stuff there that is consistent with what better sources have publicly stated, and a lot of stuff that reads an awful lot like petty blame-shifting. We have a body of work with Wakefield and Tek, and we know what they're about. If the worst thing that could be dug up about Wakefield was that he thinks he should stay, and the worst thing about Tek was that he doesn't like being called at home, then that kinda speaks for itself. Those aren't real issues.
My reasons for not liking Papelbon, OTOH, have nothing to do with that article. Similarly, feel free to point out where I suggested otherwise about Drew. He was never worth anything close to his salary, and I'm glad that he's off the books now. In fact, I didn't even reference the fact that he was now a free agent, let alone attribute it to something else, so I have no idea why you're taking issue with what I said on that front. Maybe you're confused.
While the team needs to clean house, fans, such as yourself and myself need to not fall into the media trap of buying every rumor they throw out there. And if you don't think that Hohler has an agenda, think again.
Like others, I want to see Lackey gone. Ship him to Oakland, where he always seems to pitch well. Bring in some guys who can hustle or give the kids like Reddick a legit shot. Don't just sit them on the bench when they are clearly one of the better players.
Francona himself acknowledged that Beckett, Lester and Lackey were rarely on the bench where they should have been. The rest of the stuff that bothers me comes almost entirely directly from the players' mouths. Take that, add in the convenient "team sources" questioning whether Francona was addicted to painkillers (obviously untrue, and probably slander, not to mention a huge violation of trust), and it is what it is. It's a deeply dysfunctional organization full of unaccountable prima donnas.
On a side note: why are you so insistent on taking the offensive all the time? In your rush to put me in the place, you, in the same post, reprimanded me for not taking the article as gospel while warning me not to take it as gospel. Try to be consistent, mmmkay?
