And as usual, it was over too soon. Fenway Park is shuttered for the winter, reopening next April to a landscape that may bear little resemblance to the house of horrors it became in the last weeks of the 2001 season.
It's a rare trifecta when a team turns over its owner, general manager, and manager from October to February, which is why the Sox head into this offseason bracketed by more uncertainty than at any time in 100 years of Olde Towne baseball.
The sale of the Babe. The death of Tom Yawkey, and later, his widow Jean. The Buddy LeRoux attempted palace coup. The bile-filled departures of Roger Clemens and Mo Vaughn. On the Richter scale, none comes close to the potential seismic activity this winter promises.
''I think this is pretty much off the charts, particularly when given the events of the last month,'' said baseball historian Glenn Stout, author of ''Red Sox Century.''
''The fallout from the '86 loss against the Mets was considerable but it took a much longer time, more than a full season before John McNamara was gone and everything turned over. This all went in six weeks. This is in a whole new realm.''
There remains some question, of course, whether anything will change before the Sox open at home next season on April Fools' Day. The country is at war, the market is volatile, the game could be facing another work stoppage, and while baseball commissioner Bud Selig says the sale of the team is proceeding apace and it's reasonable to expect new owners in place by next season, the process could stall.
If so, a Harrington/Duquette/Kerrigan management team disgraced by a team broken in both body and soul, one wrenched from its lone mooring when Williams was fired Aug. 16, could be back intact, even though it has been shorn of credibility with fans and players.
Duquette has gone public with his wish to be back. Kerrigan feigns ignorance of any scenario in which he might lose his job, even if he'd probably lose a straw poll in his own clubhouse by a 25-0 vote. There's no reason to believe Harrington will step out from behind the curtain, not when he has remained mum while his legacy crumbles before his eyes.
It's anyone's guess how the Sox will proceed this winter. When the Giants were sold to supermarket mogul Peter Magowan eight years ago, his first act was to sign Barry Bonds, the grand prize on the free agent market. The signing was held up for a few days until Bob Lurie, who still technically owned the team, signed off on the deal.
Bonds, fresh off a season that eclipsed even the Babe at his best, can become a free agent again this winter. Across the Bay, Oakland's Jason Giambi, the kind of lefthanded slugger whose presence between Garciaparra and Ramirez in the Sox lineup would be electric, also could be on the market. Do the Sox, who have thrown money at every problem until their bloated payroll eclipsed $110 million, do the same again this winter? One look at the meager offerings of their farm system would suggest they have no choice if they want to compete.
But who's to say the new ownership won't want to bite the bullet for a couple of years, taking a pass even if Johnny Damon might solve their leadoff problem, or Jason Schmidt solidify the starting staff, Jeff Shaw or Jason Isringhausen stabilize the bullpen, or trade for Mike Sweeney or Phil Nevin or Scott Rolen to give them quality on and off the field.
The uncertainty doesn't end in the offices of Yawkey Way. Martinez is nursing a damaged shoulder and wounded pride; his high spirits may be more likely to return than his high-octane fastball. Varitek, who was on the cusp of All-Star status, has continuing elbow trouble that is as frightening for a catcher as it is for a pitcher. Garciaparra's wrist must stand the test of time, and Ramirez, who vacated his uniform long before he took it off, has to be broken of any lingering thoughts that on the whole, he'd rather be in Cleveland.
Hideo Nomo, the most valuable member of this season's pitching staff and Duquette's most astute offseason signing, may find the open market too lucrative to return.
Still, it is worth remembering: As late as July 21, 97 games into the season, the Sox were in first place, even without
Varitek, Garciaparra, and Martinez. Even in mid-August, when Williams was fired, they were a wild-card contender. Sellout crowds were a nightly
occurrence, and ''dirt dogs'' was a badge of honor.
Yes, it all fell apart, beginning in late August with that horrid 18-inning loss in Texas in which Kerrigan had the infield playing back with Bill Haselman at the plate, the start of a nine-game losing streak.
But even among the shards of broken glass, hope was still reflected, never more brightly than by the play of Trot Nixon. The Manny moments - the home run in his first Fenway swing, the winning hit off Mariano Rivera, the electrifying home run off Rivera in Yankee Stadium, the fifth-deck blast in SkyDome - were real, not imagined, even as they grew scarcer. Wispy lefthander Casey Fossum flashed a slider and a presence that promised he will stick.
The Red Sox are done, but even through gloom that rarely has been thicker, February's sun already beckons.
By Gordon Edes, Globe Columnist, 10/6/2001
This story ran on page E3 of the Boston Globe on 10/8/2001
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company