You can respond in all your screennames, or just one to kinda sum it up. Whatever is best for you.

I'm curious as to the name of the person who is in line for his job. The hatred, and time spent trying to get everyone to jump on board has to be for a reason. Has to be. Why not take this opportunity to plead your case for your GM?

In response to kimsaysthis's comment:

Hi Kim,

                  I am in total agreement with you. Why a few posters have turned their hatred toward Ben makes zero sense. Ben having played in college and with time in the front office should be given the chance to build his team. Appears some here are looking for instant results. That is not how you build a winner. Some of these are the same posters who wanted Wakefield signed to an extension. That should tell you all you need to know about their baseball IQ.

In response to kimsaysthis' comment:

(1) Once the Red Sox complete their coaching staff 1B and hitting coach (could be Fletcher the candidate now) then they the coaches will organise the needs ,wants and don't wants.

(2) Ross ( very defensive catcher, with good communication skill with pitchers, and good pick off ration avg. 40%) Lavarnway ( could be the our future catcher but needs a tune up and time with hitting coaches) and Salty ( could be on the block for a trade if he is traded then I could see the possibility that Vet Napoli will be here and Lavarnway will go back to the minors for a one year tune up. For a second year GM that is a pretty good option to have.

(3) Signing Big Papi is good idea some may say too much money but everyone will have different opinions. Personally I like Ortix staying in Red Sox nation. Think about the future Big Papi could be the Sox next batting coach.

(4) He did dump off a lot of salary and now has money to spend wisely. He even mention in an interview on WEEI. That Marlins deal was just too much for the Sox to swoop at once, but BCdid try to get some one out that deal but who i don't know. I think that is smart GM move.

(5) Some other quotes that BC did say in his interview with WEEI are:

(A) I know that we will have a very strong payroll, ... I know that we're going to add this winter, and have a large payroll.

(B) As far as we're concerned, we have standards and we have a limit to what we'll do in a trade and FA ... getting the right vets here ... and continue to develop within ... and i know we're building something that's going to be good. And I think we're going to have a team that fans are going to enjoy watching ... be contenders for years. Sounds like high expectations but he doing a management job from my personally perception.

I am Canadian from Southern Ontario and am a die hard Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins fan. Toronto news about the big deals going on with the Jays is just a smart marketing move and giving the long waited hopes from the fans that one of their professional sports team a chance to make the post season.

Once upon a time the poster on the Bruins forum were attcking the Bruins GM for being impatient, and what do you know the Bruins won the Stanley Cup with class.

" Patient is a virtue," or " good things happen to those who wait."

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Haters gonna hate. Most of the I hate Ben brigade are people who generally don't have anything positive to say about the Red Sox ever.

I'm giving him a chance, but let's not forget he also has been on the staff during the last couple of years.

Slacker, if you had any ambition, you'd hate BC's successor as well.

Most of his harshest critics are saying the eact same things they said about Epstein.  Very few, if any, have any understanding of the job and what it entails.    They are just upset that the GM (whoever it is) refuses to do the moves THEY want done.

In response to notin's comment:

exactly. It seems more ego driven than anything.

Like not seeing the value in having David Ross catch half the games. hasn't everyone been complaining about salty? Now we get a guy who is known for his solid defense, game calling, framing of pitches, 40% cs percentage and has a little pop in his bat who can hit both RHP and LHP and is a great clubhouse guy who players and coaches talk highly of... And there saying what a dumb move it was and can see no reason to make that move...Really? And they want me to take them seriously?

In response to southpaw777's comment:

 

Or how Cherington is at fault, but Cherington is a puppet.  It has already turned into "I like this move, so it was Lucchino.  I do not like this part of it, so clearly that had  to be Cherington."   These are EXACTLY the sme criticisms were started seeing about Theo.  All his good (re: popular) moves came from elsewhere, but he was responsible for 100% of the unpopular moves.  Even credit for Beckett bounced back and forth depending on hsi success.  "I hate that Epstein traded for Beckett!! Wait?? Beckett is doing well?  Good job trading for him, Cherington and Hoyer!!  Boy, I hope Cherington runs this team someday.  I will never complain then!!  Until it happens!"

In response to Iceman4's comment:

Exactly. He was trained by Epstein, the guy who put us where we are today.

In response to pumpsie-green's comment:

Going into the 2011 season (Epstein's last year he had anything to do with the team), a lot of people were throwing "best team ever" around and predicting them to win it all.  Now, because things didn't work out, he "destroyed" the franchise, with many people conveniently forgetting that he had a pretty big hand in 2 World Series titles and a team that got to game 7 of the ALCS 4 times in a 6 year period.  If you are a general manager in baseball and your trades, signings, etc. work out 50% of the time, you'll have a job for a long time. 

In response to jasko2248's comment:

The bottom line is he was the GM immediately before last season. Our pitching has deteriorated nearly every year since 2007, and he made some huge boners  by signing Lackey, Beckett, and many others to long term contracts. I think he was a very mediocre GM; below average.

In response to pumpsie-green's comment:

Not exacly, pumpsie. Cherington said Epstein contacted him after he was named Sox GM and admitted he made mistakes, with the big contract FA signings. BC wont go down the same road. Cherington's background was scouting, drafting and developement, which is what the Sox need to get back to. 

In response to kimsaysthis's comment:

Kim - some spout the negative, no matter what is going on.  It speaks to a lack of character as fans.  We have heard many gripe about the lack of character the team members have had, but have't applied it to their own behavior. 

I realize these are trying times, at the best they are uncharted, but that doesn't give lisence to be so critical as to be boorish.  I know folk s take the position it's their right both in free speech and as fans.  But it never proves they are handling the moment well, nor for that matter, making the point they have character.

I admit I am ignorant as to the best moves to be made, but I am never pleased with my team's fans being boors.  I grew up thinking that was the bailywick of the fans from a team in the Bronx.  Not all of them, but certainly it was their hallmark.  I am saddened to have seen that attitude grow in the Red Sox Nation.   Win, loose or boo.

 

The bottom line is he was the GM immediately before last season. Our pitching has deteriorated nearly every year since 2007, and he made some huge boners  by signing Lackey, Beckett, and many others to long term contracts. I think he was a very mediocre GM; below average.

The bottom line is that he had one bad month in 8 years, won 2 WCS and was in the ALCS 4x.  As soon as he left, the place fell apart.  He's been the most successful GM in BB since he was hired, was voted GM of the decade by SI, and was hired by Chicago as the highest paid executaive in BB.

Ben has been G.M. for one year. In that year , we lost 93 games and finished in last place. I think it is fair to say that was not a very good beginning.  Now , it is his second year. We will see how the team does in 2013.  My guess is that , if we finish in the cellar again , Ben will still have the same group of defenders on here.

damned if you do...damned if you don't....no matter what he does some of these people will still bite his head off...it's a no win...but i like the guy...

Because one thinks BC is not up to the job doesn't mean they hate BC.  I do think his perfromance to date has been unsatisfacory.  Daniel Bard is sufficient evidence of this.  In many jobs, a year is sufficient time to form an opinion.  Henry et al are obviously willing to give Cherries more time than that.  Part of the reason, IMO is that he really isn't a GM in the traditional sense. I doubt if he has the authority or freedom of action that most other GMs have.

In response to Joebreidey's comment:

Yeah, he was wonderful.I will give him 2007; even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes. He also signed Beckett, Lackey, Lugo, Renteria, Matsusaka, Gagne, Crawford...need I go on? I can. I am not going to give him much credit for 2004; too many of the pieces were already in place then. And he was in charge over the the last five year when our pitching deteriorated consistently. He skipped town leaving the franchise with the bloated contracts of Beckett, Lackey, Crawford and Gonzalez and during his incompetent reign, despite having one of the highest payrolls in baseball to work with, his teams failed to make the playoffs three years in a row (yeah, he gets the blame for 2012 as well since this is the team he created and left for Cherington to deal with). He destroyed the pitching staff and depleted the farm system. Just because he is paid a lot of money does not mean he is competent. Look at some of his acquisitions as proof that highly paid people are not always good at what they do. This isn't even debatable; Epstein left this franchise in ruins.

In response to dgalehouse's comment:

This is Epstein's team. He created it. There wasn't much Ben could do about it this year. I blame Epstein for 2012, or at least for most of it. If the team improves every year under Cherington then that should be viewed as success. He cannot work a miracle; it will take him several years to fix the cesspool he was left by his predecessor.

In response to kimsaysthis' comment:

Pikesaysthis.

In response to pumpsie-green's comment:

 

Please name a better GM in Red Sox history.  And before you bring up Duquette - who did have some good points - he had the team for only one less season, he did have team payrolls far more commeasurate with league leaders, and he never won anything...

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To ask someone to turn around this team with its budget restraints and albatross contracts in 1 year is unrealistic. Especially when the president keeps sticking his nose in and delaying the process (Valentine).

winter 2012 and regular season 2013 is where Im going to start to truly judge his performance. We will see what kind of team he starts to put together with a clean slate and no interference.