You way oversimplified the reality of the situation that Epstein faced.

Epstein had just watched the Yankees flush yet another would-be title run down the toilet in October 2003. That 93-win season may as well been a 69-Win season. The ownership group had just handed the then 28-yr-old the task of ending the then 85-year title drought, something that ownership had guaranteed the fans that they would do. Epstein had team chemistry issues to deal with and had a just hired a manager that NO ONE was excited about at the time.

In the 2003 off-season Epstein had find to renovate 2/5th’s of the rotation, find a Closer, fill out the bullpen, replace the starting 2B, and significantly improve positional and organizational depth.

That having been said, Cherington certainly faces the possibility of this off-season being more daunting, but with the 3-headed albatross sent away for good, the hardest part is already over. There are plenty of parts to be had and with a fresh manager and coaching staff, BC’s job while sure to be hectic, doesn’t seem so daunting anymore.

The Red Sox have now gone 3 years without making the playoffs, and in the post-2004 era, that may as well be 86 years. If things go even 75% according to plan for Cherington this off-season I have little doubt that they will be a 90+ Win team again in 2013.

Lester had a bad year – I’m nowhere near being of the mind that he has hit a career wall. Buchholz came off a debilitating injury. Beckett is mercifully gone. Lackey will return (presumably healthy for the 1st time in his Red Sox career). So like Epstein, Cherington needs to make decisions on 2/5′s of the rotation. Unlike Epstein, BC will have some choices in house: Morales, Doubront, De la Rosa, Barnes. If someone like Dickey becomes available, then all the better, because that is someone I would happily see them use some of their payroll leverage on. They could also take a run at E-Jax, Kuroda or Anibal.

Where I’ll concede to your point a little more is how Cherington deals with LF, SS, 1B and possibly RF. The 2003 Sox were set at all three of the positions.

There are some very appealing potential upgrades for the Red Sox at 1B in Adam LaRoche and Mike Napoli. Napoli (RH) could make a lot of sense, especially as a platoon with someone like Sands (LH) at 1B and Salty at C.
Then again there is the chance that Ike Davis could be had. And I still wouldn’t rule the chance that Middlebrooks could end up at 1B

Which leads me to SS/3B. There is a chance that Bogaerts is already being viewed as Opening Day 3B or SS. We know that no one sane would be viewing Iglesias at either spot. There is no doubt that Stephen Drew will end up a FA. I just don’t see Oakland picking up his $10 option. Should anyone have any doubt whatsoever that the Red Sox will have significant interest in Drew? NO. And he could literally be the linchpin to how that IF is constructed.

Thus, I could see the Red Sox 2013 Starting Infield in one of these scenarios:

1B) Middlebrooks, 2B) Pedroia, SS) Drew, 3B) Bogaerts
1B) LaRoche, 2B) Pedroia, SS) Drew, 3B) Middlebrooks
1B) Napoli/Sands, 2B) Pedroia, SS) Drew, 3B) Middlebrooks

I could also see a trade w/ the Padres that lands Headley (a FA next year) for 3B, again w/ Middlebrooks going to 1B.

I can see the Red Sox being very interested in Delmon Young (pending outcome of court case) or BJ Upton. They are likely to bring back Ross, but could also have interest in trading for Soriano. They could also end up dealing Ellsbury (perhaps to the Mets?) and look to Michael Bourn.

Because of the payroll flexibility, the Red Sox actually have an amazing array of options to pursue. And because of that this could be a very interesting and exciting team again in very short order.

Jeremy- Trout has been the better baseball player. I wasn’t just talking about the hitting.

Bottom line, this is NOT how a manager should act, unless he wants his team to lose.

it’s ok.

he’ll be on the jets’ coaching staff within a week.

Epstein turned a 93 win team into a 95 win team.

I’d say Cherington has a bit of a bigger climb ahead of him.

And maybe he wouldn’t have been treated that way if he didn’t try to show up Kevin Youkilis, one of the most popular players in the clubhouse, almost immediately.

It’s been embarrassing to be a Red Sox fan over the last 13 months, although that’s not something that’s unfamiliar to many of us.

But the shameful way in which they hired Valentine and immediately hung him out to dry is a very dark spot on this ownership group.

Ben Cherington’s challenge is now every bit as big as the one that Epstein faced in 2003.

So naturally the holdover coaches realize how short of a leash Bobby V is on, and that upper management is protecting them. No wonder they’re loyal to upper management over Bobby V.

This particular fiasco was sparked by RS upper management the day they didn’t give him full authority to do his job. Yeah, he probably was a giant asshat, but that merely fanned the flames.

That said, I have to defend him a bit. He had to jump into a tough situation, he didn’t get to pick his coaches, he had a ridiculous number of injuries to deal with (the Sox had the highest percentage of their payroll on the DL by far), they were unlucky in general, and he was not supported by ownership when trying to instill some of his discipline at the beginning of the season. When he is scapegoated out of town, The BoSox will still be a lousy and dysfunctional team.

F them….I hope they lose 90 again next year!

He’s obviously done as a manager. No other team should (or perhaps would) hire him now, after this season’s methodical meltdown (not that he didn’t come in to an untenable situation in Boston). He’s not much of an analyst, either, so I hope MLB or ESPN is not stupid enough to hire him in that role again.

He should just crawl off somewhere & disappear forever. Lots of fans would appreciate that.