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[Was (Not Wasdin)]

One piece that I think that has been overlooked in the collapse is the fact that for the first time since 2006, John Farrell was not part of the RS coaching staff. Did his absence play a significant role in the collapse? I don't necessarily mean from just the pitching coach perspective (mechanics/game calling/training issues). I am thinking more from a leadership perspective. I have no idea how much of what is being said about a troubled clubhouse is true, but much of it seems to point back to the pitching staff. Was Farrell a guy who could have kept them in line, and did Young just not have the juice to do it? Did the WS win in 2007, after Farrell joined the team, give him enough cachet in the clubhouse to impose his direction on the players? I did not hear about any of these issues for the last few years (and maybe they existed but we just didnt hear about them), but things really seemed to break down this year.

Clearly, the Jays thought that he brought more to the table than just "pitching coach skills" by making him their manager.

I blame this on Lackey. Farrell just wanted to get the hell away from him and was willing to flee the country to do it.