A dramatic Red Sox season of twists and turns

<b>By Steve Silva and Lenny Neslin, Boston.com Staff</b><br>Last season, the colossal Red Sox collapse came in September. This season it’s been a long series of frustrations, bad news, bizarre happenings, and off-the-field incidents for the Red Sox right from spring training on. We take a look back at some of the biggest issues that have derailed Boston in 2012.

<b>Jan. 17: Wrist surgery for Crawford: </b> Outfielder Carl Crawford hoped to bounce back from a dismal first season in Boston, but felt soreness when he started his offseason hitting workouts around Jan. 1. An MRI showed cartilage damage, and arthroscopic surgery was recommended, after which Sox GM Ben Cherington said Crawford should be recovered to play “the bulk” of the season. Crawford had wrist issues in the past, but the discomfort had always passed. He later had Tommy John surgery on his elbow before being traded to the Dodgers.

<b>Feb. 19: Apologies for 2011 few and far between: </b> Josh Beckett wasn’t very contrite about September’s collapse when he arrived in Fort Myers for spring training. “I think that we had lapses in judgment,” Beckett said. “I had lapses in judgment. I can’t speak for everybody else. I want to keep it at that. I can’t speak for Jon [Lester], or John [Lackey], or Clay [Buchholz] or Wakey [Tim Wakefield], or anybody. It’s pretty much I want this to stay about me. That’s how I feel about it. I had some things going on. I was distracted. I think that was the biggest thing. I would definitely change those.”

<b>Feb. 24: Jenks says error made in surgery: </b> Red Sox relief pitcher Bobby Jenks said that an error during his surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital resulted in emergency surgery in Arizona 18 days later. This episode raised questions about the team’s medical care. In March, Jenks was arrested for driving under the influence in Fort Myers. In July, the Red Sox reached a contract termination settlement with Jenks and he was placed on unconditional release waivers.

<b>March 8: Papelbon says Philly fans know baseball better: </b> Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon rocked Red Sox nation with comments to a Philadelphia radio station: “The difference between Boston and Philadelphia, the Boston fans are a little bit more hysterical when it comes to the game of baseball. The Philly fans, I think they tend to know the game a little better, being in the National League, you know, the way the game is played. I’ve had a guy take of his prosthetic leg and throw it in the bullpen in Boston.” Papelbon earned a save against the Red Sox when he faced his former team for the first time on May 19.

<b>March 27: Schilling fires shot across the bow at Bobby V: </b> Former Sox starter Curt Schilling, a longtime supporter of former Sox manager Terry Francona, started the anti-Bobby Valentine brigade on WEEI: “I thought that the manager that managed the Mets that I was not a big fan of was now going to be a different manager, and I don’t think there’s anything different at all, and I don’t think that that is going to be conducive to doing well here. There’s a lot of things I think that are happening not just from his perspective, but when you talk to these guys — and I’m still talking to some of these guys — I don’t think this is going well. And I think it’s going bad quicker than I expected it to.”

<b>April 2: Bailey has surgery on thumb: </b>Andrew Bailey, who was acquired from the Athletics in the offseason to replace Jonathan Papelbon as the team’s closer, required surgery to reconstruct the ulnar collateral ligament on his right thumb. Bailey was originally expected back just after the All-Star break, but he did not make his Red Sox debut until Aug. 14.

<b>April 4: Valentine gets NY radio show: </b> Valentine’s decision to do a regular appearance on Yankees play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay’s radio program in New York prompted some backlash among Red Sox fans. Valentine has connections in New York, and his decision came off as both a shot at Boston (remember how insular Boston sports fans can be) and appeared like he was setting up broadcasting plans for after his Red Sox managing days.

<b>April 13: Ellsbury season derailed with shoulder injury: </b>Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury was injured while trying to break up a double play against the Rays. Tampa Bay shortstop Reid Brignac was upended on the play and landed on Ellsbury’s shoulder. Ellsbury, fresh off a near-MVP season, missed the next three months and struggled at the plate after his return.

<b>April 15: Criticism of Kevin Youkilis: </b> The most public of Valentine’s player criticisms caused the most commotion. During an interview in April, Valentine was asked about Youkilis and said, “I don’t think he’s as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason.’’ The comment prompted Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia to come to the defense of Youkilis, saying, “That’s not the way we go about our stuff around here. Maybe that works in Japan.” Valentine apologized to Youkilis, but the third baseman was eventually shipped out of town for pennies on the dollar.

<b>April 20-21: Fenway 100 celebration better than games: </b> The Red Sox lost to the Yankees, 6-2, on the day of the 100th anniversary celebration of the park. The next day, fans witnessed one of the most stunning collapses in team history. The Sox blew a 9-0 lead after the Yankees posted back-to-back seven-run innings in the seventh and eighth in a shocking 15-9 win.

<b>April 21: Reported rift between Valentine and Mike Aviles: </b> New York Daily News columnist Bill Madden wrote that Valentine’s treatment of Aviles during an infield drill in spring training sparked a near-revolt by Red Sox players, according to a team source. Both Valentine and Aviles denied the incident ever happened, but the story was plausible because of a CBS Sports report during spring training that suggested Valentine was not excited to use Aviles as his everyday shortstop, preferring prospect Jose Iglesias.

<b>April 21: Byrd lands at Fenway, later banned by MLB: </b> The Red Sox made a deal with Theo Epstein’s Cubs to land outfielder Marlon Byrd, who was a spark plug for Boston early on before being released by the team on June 12. On June 25, MLB suspended Byrd for 50 games after he tested positive for Tamoxifen, which can reduce side effects of steroid use and increase testosterone. It is often used to treat breast cancer patients.

<b>April 25: Valentine didn’t know right from left: </b> Bobby Valentine had to resubmit a lineup because he originally thought that Twins pitcher Liam Hendriks was a righty, not a lefty. When Jarrod Saltalamacchia informed his manager that Hendriks was a righthander, Valentine tore up the old lineup and posted a new one. “The one that was posted was for the lefthander that I thought was pitching today,’’ Valentine said.

<b>May 4: Fenway sellout streak a real numbers game: </b> The <a href=”http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2012/05/04/red_sox_sellout_streak_proves_to_be_a_real_numbers_game/” target=”_blank”>Globe reported</a> that the Red Sox record-breaking sellout streak is actually more of a “distribution streak’’ where the team heavily relies on complimentary tickets to meet the sellout requirements. In one instance documented in the report, free tickets were given out at the ticket window for a Red Sox game billed as a sellout.

<b>May 6: McDonald takes loss in 17 inning battle with Baltimore: </b> It took 39 innings all together, but the Orioles completed a three-game sweep of the Red Sox for the first time since 1994 with a 17-inning, 9-6 win. Sox outfielder Darnell McDonald took the pitching loss for the Sox after giving up a three-run home run to Adam Jones in the 17th. Orioles DH Chris Davis picked up the win.

<b>May 9: Fenway announcer Carl Beane dies while driving: </b> Carl Beane, the public address announcer at Fenway Park, died after suffering a heart attack while driving his car in Sturbridge. “We are filled with sadness at this tragic news,’’ Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said. “No one loved his role with the Red Sox more than Carl did his.’’

<b>May 10: Beckett shelled in first start after Golfgate: </b> In his first game back after missing a start with a sore lat muscle, but managing to squeeze in a round of golf, Josh Beckett was hammered for seven runs in 2 1/2 innings by the Cleveland Indians at Fenway. After the 8-3 loss, a defiant Beckett told the media regarding the outing on the links: “My off day is my off day… We get 18 off days a year. I think we deserve a little bit of time to ourselves.’’ In the same game, a Red Sox fan wearing a bag on his head was visible in NESN’s camera shot behind home plate, and caused a stir across Red Sox Nation.

<b>May 22: Ortiz goes off on rant about being a leader: </b> After questions surfaced about the late timing of a Red Sox team meeting called by Ortiz earlier in the month, the big Sox DH went off on the perception of him not being a leader to ESPNBoston.com. “I don’t give a [expletive] about anybody knowing what we talk about, No. 1. and No. 2, I don’t give a [expletive] what they call leaders.’’

<b>May 23: Valentine brings Shoppach concerns to the surface: </b> After seeing red-hot Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s name on the lineup card before a game in Baltimore, backup catcher Kelly Shoppach complained to Bobby Valentine about his playing time. Valentine felt obliged to share the news with reporters. “He left angry,’’ Valentine said of Shoppach’s complaints. “And I like playing him when he’s angry, I guess.’’

<b>June 3: Bard-as-starter experiment hits rock bottom: </b> Reliever turned struggling starter Daniel Bard lasted just 1 and 2/3 innings for the Red Sox in Toronto, hitting two batters and walking six while allowing five earned runs in a 5-1 loss. He was subsequently demoted to Triple-A Pawtucket and did not return to the Boston bullpen until Aug. 30.

<b>June 17: Olney reports Red Sox clubhouse is ‘toxic’: </b> In one of several out-of-town reports that was a harbinger for moves to come later in the season, ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Red Sox have a “toxic’’ clubhouse. David Ortiz was quick to rebut Olney’s report. “It’s not like that, dog,’’ Ortiz said. “We all get along here. There’s not one guy here that has a problem with the other.’’

<b>June 20: Pedroia aggravates thumb injury: </b> Dustin Pedroia appeared to aggravate the right thumb injury he suffered May 28 in a 7-5 victory over the Marlins after popping to first in the seventh inning.

<b>June 21: Another Ortiz outburst after reports of dysfunction: </b> After multiple reports of players being unhappy in Boston, and friction between Valentine and his coaches, David Ortiz was asked by reporters if he’s having fun playing in Boston anymore. “Not really. Too much [expletive], man. Too much [expletive],’’ Ortiz said. “It’s becoming the [expletive] hole that it used to be. … Playing here used to be so much fun. Now, every day it’s something new not related with baseball. People need to leave us alone [to] play ball, man.’’

<b>June 21: More reports of dysfunction, Valentine backlash: </b> A report on CSNNE.com described a Red Sox team that is “somewhat dysfunctional at nearly every level,’’ with many players unhappy with Bobby Valentine’s managerial style. One player “openly challenged’’ Valentine at one point, according to the report which also noted that Valentine was told to apologize to Kevin Youkilis after the manager called out the veteran infielder early in the season for a lack of effort and focus on the game.

<b>June 25: Youkilis shipped to White Sox: </b> His Red Sox career was highlighted by two World Series titles and a grinding, hard-working style that endeared him to fans, but infielder Kevin Youkilis was traded to the Chicago White Sox for righthander Zach Stewart and utility player Brent Lillibridge. Boston also picked up $5.5 million of the $6.6 million Youkilis had remaining on his contract. Youkilis tripled in his final at-bat in a Red Sox uniform, during the seventh inning of a win over the Braves and received a huge Fenway ovation when he was removed from the game.

<b>June 27: Buchholz spends 5 days at Mass General with esophagitis: </b> Red Sox righthander Clay Buchholz spent five days at Mass General Hospital because of esophagitis. “They were trying to downplay it, but when you’re laying in an ICU [intensive care unit], where I’m from it usually means that stuff’s not going really well,’’ Buchholz said. “Once I got out of there, the doctors were pretty upfront about it, saying it wasn’t really life-threatening at this point. They just had me in [the ICU] to make sure that I wasn’t really losing any more blood.’’

6-19-12: Boston, MA: Red Sox starter Clay Buchholz strugglerd early, including giving up a top of the first inning two run home run to Miami’s Logan Morrison, seen rounding third base in the backround. The Boston Red Sox hosted the Miami Marlins in an inter league MLB game at Fenway Park. (Globe Staff Photo/Jim Davis) section: sports topic: Marlins-Sox

<b>July 4: Ortiz expresses concern with contract again: </b> David Ortiz told USA Today’s Jorge Ortiz in an extensive Spanish-language interview that he felt “humiliated” and “embarrassed” about his contract situation. Ortiz, who was hitting .302 with 22 home runs at the time, agreed in the offseason to a one-year, $14.575 million deal, a $2.025 million raise from the year before. He was seeking a two-year contract.

<b>July 12 Valentine debuts controversial movie: </b> Bobby Valentine was executive producer for a film, “Ballplayer: Pelotero”, that followed two prospects as they prepared for the signing season in the Domincan Republic. The movie won critical acclaim, but was not popular with Major League Baseball executives because it showed the sometimes unsavory side of baseball in developing countries.

<b>July 13: Lucchino sends rallying email to season ticket holders: </b>Red Sox president Larry Lucchino sent a letter to season ticket holders that highlighted players — not manager Bobby Valentine — and told fans to keep the faith. “Personalities are enhancing the chemistry, such as the cheerful Cody Ross, the friendly Mike Aviles, and the inspiring story of Daniel Nava.” The letter ended, “We want to play October Baseball this year.”

<b>July 16: Ortiz suffers Achilles’ injury: </b>Red Sox slugger David Ortiz injured his right Achilles’ while rounding second base on Adrian Gonzalez’s three-run homer in the eighth inning against the White Sox. The injury wasn’t immediately thought to be as serious as it turned out to be. Ortiz was leading the team in many offensive categories at the time of his injury.

<b>July 16: Bill James reprimanded for Paterno comments: </b> Owner John Henry and GM Ben Cherington spoke to team senior advisor Bill James regarding his personal opinions on Joe Paterno becoming public in an interview. James, who defended Paterno in the wake of the Penn State sexual abuse scandal online and on radio, was informed that his comments in no way reflect the opinions or positions of the Red Sox; and, because he is perceived as a representative of the Red Sox, he was asked to refrain from any further public comments on the matter.

<b>July 22: Lester allows 11 runs in loss: </b>Jon Lester allowed a career-worst 11 runs against the Blue Jays in a 15-7 loss at Fenway Park. Lester allowed nine hits and four homers in four-plus innings, walking five and striking out two. the start dropped his record and ERA to 5-8 and 5.46. Valentine leaving Lester in was later reported as the apparent cause for a team meeting with ownership.

<b>July 27: Where’s Wally? Red Sox mascot goes missing: </b>The costume of the Red Sox’ mascot, Wally the Green Monster, went missing during the afternoon. It was recovered after a brief search by Boston police. What was originally described as a theft appeared to be a misunderstanding. An employee was scheduled to take the Wally costume that weekend and decided to “spread some good cheer” around the city, a team spokeswoman said.

<b>July 28: Francona holds court in Sox clubhouse: </b>In one incident that was no fault of Valentine’s, former Red Sox manager Terry Francona held court with Sox players in the Red Sox clubhouse at Yankee Stadium. The sight of the team’s former manager sitting down and shooting the breeze with his old team didn’t sit well with some, particularly given the new manager’s inconsistent popularity with those same players. Francona later apologized to Valentine. Valentine said the apology wasn’t necessary, but he appreciated it.

<b>July 30: Sweeney punches wall, breaks hand: </b>Outfielder Ryan Sweeney punched a door after he made an out in the eighth inning of a game against the Tigers. The punch broke his hand and he was soon deemed out for the season. Sweeney had been rumored to be a trade piece before he broke his hand.

<b>Aug. 1: ‘Nice inning, kid’: </b>One criticism of Valentine has been that he’s too harsh with younger players. Valentine said ownership came to him after hearing of a comment he made to rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks. In Valentine’s words: “[Middlebrooks] came into the dugout, he made a couple of errors, and I said, ‘Nice inning, kid.’ I had thought I had established a relationship with him where I could say something like that and he would try to smile or relax a little. Maybe he grimaced, I don’t know, but somebody overheard it and decided that it was a very dreadful thing for a manager to say to a young player, and decided to repeat it a few times, this dreadful thing.”

<b>Aug. 2-4: Twins beat Sox in 3 straight games: </b>The 44-60 Twins won the first three games of a four-game series against the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Two of the three losses were decided by two runs or fewer. On Aug. 4, Pedro Ciriaco’s first homer came in a pinch-hit situation to tie the score at 4 in the eighth inning, but Joe Mauer’s homer in the ninth assured Ciriaco wouldn’t be a hero again after he had consecutive game-winning hits against the Yankees the week before.

<b>Aug. 6: Henry gives Valentine vote of confidence: </b>With the team’s poor play and clubhouse distractions, Bobby Valentine’s job stability was a hot topic in Boston. Red Sox owner John Henry publicly backed his manager by writing in an email to reporters, writing: “We are not making a change in manager.” General manager Ben Cherington said, “I don’t think it’s fair to direct it at any one person. We’re collectively responsible and Bobby’s one of those people, so am I, so are the players, so are the coaches and so is everyone.”

<b>Aug. 10: Report of Lackey ‘double-fisting’ beers: </b>John Lackey, who hasn’t pitched this year due to injury, was tied to another report of drinking beer in the clubhouse. Comcast SportsNet’s Joe Haggerty reported that the rehabbing Lackey was “strutting around the clubhouse with a can of Bud Light in each hand.” Bobby Valentine had made a point in spring training to ban alcohol in the Sox clubhouse, although that rule apparently did not apply on road trips.

<b>Aug. 10: Middlebrooks breaks wrist: </b>Less than two months after trading away Kevin Youkilis, the Red Sox lost another third baseman for the rest of the season. Will Middlebrooks, who had impressed early with his bat, broke his wrist when Cleveland reliever Esmil Rogers hit him with a 96-mile-per-hour fastball.

<b>Aug. 13: Sox legend Johnny Pesky dies: </b>Red Sox fan favorite Johnny Pesky died at 92 years old at the Kaplan Family Hospice House in Danvers, Mass. The loss was a significant blow to Red Sox Nation, as he had been an ambassador to the franchise for more than half a century.

<b>Aug. 14: Report of players-owners meeting: </b>A Yahoo! Sports report cited sources who said Red Sox star players blasted Valentine to team ownership during a meeting in late July after Valentine left starter Jon Lester in a game in which he gave up 11 runs. Adrian Gonzalez reportedly texted John Henry and Larry Lucchino to voice complaints, and general manager Ben Cherington confirmed the meeting occurred. A text message with a photo of Dustin Pedroia making fun of Valentine was also circulated among the team, according to the report.

<b>Aug. 20: McClure fired: </b>Red Sox pitching coach Bob McClure was fired and replaced by Randy Niemann for the remainder of the season. McClure and manager Bobby Valentine had a rocky relationship starting in spring training, and there were multiple reports of poor communication between the two throughout the season.

<b>Aug. 23: All but four players skip Johnny Pesky’s funeral: </b>Four of the 25 active Red Sox players attended Johnny Pesky’s funeral: David Ortiz, Clay Buchholz, Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Vicente Padilla, according to the Boston Herald. Another report said Red Sox ownership was very unhappy with the turnout, as buses were provided for the team. The team had returned from a road trip at approximately 3 a.m. the night before the funeral.

<b>Aug. 25: Sox complete blockbuster deal with Dodgers: </b>The Red Sox dealt Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Nick Punto to the Dodgers in exchange for James Loney and four prospects. The move signaled that team executives were more focused on winning in 2013 than 2012.

<b>Aug. 25: Aceves suspended three games: </b> The Red Sox suspended righthander Alfredo Aceves for three games for “conduct detrimental to the team’’ following a confrontation with manager Bobby Valentine. Aceves had a closed-door meeting in Valentine’s office after the Red Sox beat the Kansas City Royals because the righthander was angry he was not used to close the 4-3 game. He took off his jersey as he left the bullpen to meet with Valentine after the game.

<b>Sept. 1: More trouble with Aceves: </b> Pedroia confronted Aceves in the dugout during a game in Oakland after Aceves inexplicably barged in on a foul popup play and botched the catch. When Valentine tried to intervene, Aceves waved him away. Both players declined to discuss the issue, but Valentine said the discussion was about pickoff plays at second base earlier in the game.

<b>Sept. 3: Sox brass in Seattle: </b>The arrival of Red Sox owner John Henry and general manager Ben Cherington at the first game of a series in Seattle caused plenty of commotion. The Sox had just been swept for the second time on their West Coast swing, and Valentine’s job security was the hot topic. Henry said he was on a “fact-finding’’ trip, and Cherington said “nothing is up’’ with Valentine’s status as manager.

<b>Sept. 5: Bobby Valentine has outburst on radio show: </b>During an interview with WEEI, Valentine said he would like to punch host Glenn Ordway after a question about whether he had “checked out” of his job. Valentine said he was joking. But the manager also passionately bristled at questions about his commitment and his personal schedule. This came on the same day a Sports Illustrated cover story detailed the dysfunction and problems within the team.

<b>Sept. 5: Red Sox go 1-8 on road trip: </b>In perhaps the exclamation point that ended their postseason hopes, the Red Sox lost 2-1 in Seattle to finish a 1-8 road trip that also stopped in Anaheim and Oakland. The Red Sox were outscored 63-21 during the trip.

<b>Sept. 13: John Henry denies team is for sale: </b>After a Fox Business report claimed the Red Sox were “quietly shopping’’ the team for a sale, Henry, the principal owner, refuted the report. He said it was “completely without foundation’’ and added he was committed to staying in Boston long-term. Henry also said that the Red Sox had signed team president Larry Lucchino to a long-term extension.

<b>Sept. 14: Bobby Valentine says Red Sox have ‘weakest roster’: </b>The manager said the Red Sox’ September depth chart was inadequate, especially with Pawtucket having played into its postseason for the AAA championship. Asked if there was a specific area of his roster that needed reinforcement, Valentine said, “Are you kidding? This is the weakest roster we’ve ever had in September in the history of baseball. We could use help everywhere. We’ve got four outfielders and it’s September, yeah. We’ve got four infielders, it’s September — of course. If there are people who could be brought up, we should bring ’em up, but I don’t know that there’s a lot of guys left.” Valentine later backpedaled from the remark, saying that he meant “weakest” in terms of quantity, not quality.

<b>Sept. 19: Red Sox clinch losing season: </b>With a 13-3 loss to the Rays, the Red Sox ensured their first losing season since 1997. The loss dropped them to 68-82. Daisuke Matsuzaka took the loss to fall to 1-6.

<b>Sept. 30: Red Sox surpass 90-loss mark for first time in 46 years: </b>A 6-3 loss in Baltimore dropped the Red Sox’ record to 69-90 and marked the first time they had hit that loss plateau since 1966. Every other team in MLB had at least one 90-loss season in the 46 years between the times the Red Sox recorded the dubious feat.

<b>Oct. 4: Valentine fired</b>

The Red Sox fired Bobby Valentine the day after the season ended, taking the first step toward moving on from a season that was an abject failure. The Red Sox finished with a 69-93 record. “Our 2012 season was disappointing for many reasons,’’ general manager Ben Cherington said in the team’s announcement. “No single issue is the reason, and no single individual is to blame.”