WHAT IF: Torre & LaRussa ARE Being Interviewed For The Sox Gig?

What if this line of "B" list managerial prospects is nothing more than a smoke-screen by the Red Sox front office?

What if, right now, behind closed doors somewhere, Larry Lucchino is on the phone with Tony LaRussa or Joe Torre, trying to convince them that they are the right candidate for the vacant Red Sox job?

What if the first round of interviews was nothing more than pandering, trying to buy time to work a deal with one of these two coaching legends?

Listening to the radio on the way home today I heard these possibilities being tossed around, and it made me curious. Both men have the cache' to want their names kept private in the event that neither landed the position. Torre, being under contract with Major League Baseball, has a bit more at stake than LaRussa, whom is currently retired.

What this would mean for the Red Sox is a bit complicated. First, it would tell you that Ben Cherington is really just a face. He wields no actual power and Larry Lucchino is pulling all of the strings behind the scenes. Why else would he allow Cherington to go through the charade of interviewing candidates for the position that nobody seems all too excited about?

What if the Sox are on the phone with Toronto, offering up Will Middlebrooks and Anthony Ranaudo so that they could offer the managerial job to John Farrell?

I am having a hard time believing that the finalists for the Red Sox managerial job are: Torey Lovullo, Sandy Alomar and Gene Lamont with the outside possibility of Bobby Valentine. I'm not buying it. Something is going on behind the curtain.

I can certainly understand discretion in the selection. The problem is, if any of these conspiracy theories prove correct, what does that tell us about Ben Cherington's role with the team?

Ace in the Hole

It was his first day on the job and Ben Cherington already has won over the hearts of Red Sox Nation. How, you may ask? It was not by his smooth talking during the press conference. It was not by fielding difficult questions. No, no, Ben Cherington could have come out and been verbally assaulted by the harsh Boston media. Instead, instantly he managed to get one phrase trending in the Boston area on Twitter...

"Tommy John Surgery."

Ben Cherington took care of a major concern this off-season for Red Sox fans by telling everyone that the much despised John Lackey will miss all of the 2012 season after opting to have Tommy John surgery. Though it does not get Lackey out of Boston, like most fans want, it does get him out of our minds for a year.

Let's face it, if Lackey were healthy he would have been dealt. If we could not deal him, he would have to have been released and ownership swallow a $45million pill. Now, they will pretty much have to do the latter. There is no way they can rehabilitate this man in Boston. Listening to either sports radio station, there is no buzz about keeping Lackey. There are no articles bein written regarding the perks of trying to rehabilitate the man in this market.

Cherington also seems to have a bead on who he wants to interview for the new managerial position. Knowing that he (Cherington) has over 14 years in Major League Baseball is comforting. He came up the hard way, as a scout, conducting player development and analysis, finally moving into front office. He was a large proponent in the signing of Adrian Beltre, a man who far exceeded expectations while in Boston. I'm still sorry that he is not still here in Boston.

What I see with Cherington is a General Manager with a good head on his shoulders. His obvious passion and knowledge for the game is evident in just listening to him talk. While the Cubs fans are busy ushering in their "savior" in Theo Epstein - I think Red Sox fans will find that we have made out just fine in the deal.