Red Sox Fire Dombrowski After Losing to The Yankees

Less than half an hour after the Boston Red Sox lost 10-5 to the New York Yankees, ESPN reported the Red Sox had fired their President Dave Dombrowski. He will be succeeded by assistant GM Eddie Romero.

What a difference a year makes. Last year, the Red Sox won a franchise record 108 games and their fourth World Series title in 15 years. This year, the Red Sox are a respectable 76-67, but are 17.5 games back of the Yankees in the AL East and 8 games back of the second AL Wild Card berth which has become a thre team race between the Oakland A's, Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Indians. Being good isn't quite good enough and the team evidently didn't want to wait until the end of the season to dispense with his services. Then again, Dombrowski got the job in August 2015 during the second of two back to back last place finishes sending Ben Cherington out the door. So these things come full circle. Not that the Red Sox are going to finish in last place, but not making the post-season  in Boston is the equivalent of losing 100 games as Dombrowski's old club the Detroit Tigers did today. At this moment, I'm sure Dombrowski wishes he was back in Detroit.

It just goes to show how fickle and unforgiving Boston is. Above all else Bostonians have unrealistic expectations. Last year was the first time the Red Sox won 100 plus games since 1946. Now they expect to do it every year. No team has won back to back World Series in nearly 20 years and they expect to win this year. Boston is as miserable in triumph as it is in disaster. I shudder to think what might happen when Brady and Belichik leave the Patriots. 

Compare with the San Francisco Giants who didn't make the post-season after winning World Series in 2010 and 2012 and 2014. Was Bruce Bochy burned in effigy? Bochy will retire as a beloved figure even with a losing season in his last year. It is in part because of what happened to the Giants this decade that I'm not surprised the Red Sox have experienced this setback.

New York is plenty impatient. I don't know if Mickey Callaway will manage the Mets beyond this season. But the fans here have nowhere near the bitterness they do in Boston. It's been nearly a year since I left Boston. Just when I begin to miss it things like this jolt me back to reality and remind of all the unpleasantness and utter lack of joy with life. I miss the places more than I miss the people.

But who knows? Maybe the Red Sox win the World Series next year and Romero is hailed as a genius. He might ride in a Duck Boat, but he could easily walk the plank on a cold September night after losing to the Yankees.