Red Sox collapse can be attributed to fried chicken, beer, and pills
A. Isaac 
The Boston Red Sox September collapse was among the worst ever seen in sports and certainly the worst in MLB history. Details are now starting to emerge that paint an unflattering picture of life in the Red Sox clubhouse.
The Boston Globe released a stunning exposé this morning that’ll knock your “Sox” off. Their sources claim that pitchers Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and John Lackey lacked work ethic and often ate fried chicken, drank beer and played video games while games were going on.
Instead, Boston’s three elite starters went soft, their pitching as anemic as their work ethic. The indifference of Beckett, Lester, and Lackey in a time of crisis can be seen in what team sources say became their habit of drinking beer, eating fast-food fried chicken, and playing video games in the clubhouse during games while their teammates tried to salvage a once-promising season.
But perhaps the most libelous accusation was leveled against former manager Terry Francona who sources say abused painkillers and had severe marital problems.
Francona spent the season living in a hotel after he moved out of the Brookline home he shared with Jacque, his wife of nearly 30 years. But he adamantly denied his marital problems affected his job performance.
Team sources also expressed concern that Francona’s performance may have been affected by his use of pain medication, which he also vehemently denied. Francona said he has taken pain medicine for many years, particularly after multiple knee surgeries. He said he used painkillers after knee surgery last October and used them during the season to relieve the discomfort of doctors draining blood from his knee at least five times.
Francona denied the report saying it was never an issue and reading between the lines it appears he received the ok from his medical team to use the painkillers.
All in all, the story is worth a read if only to hear how Red Sox management had to baby the players by buying them $300 headphones. Presumably so they could get their “head back into the game”.
Inside the collapse [Boston Globe]
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