News flash: The job of Red Sox manager comes with an element of scrutiny.
“Gee, didn’t realize that,” John Farrell, the occupant of that position, said with amusement.
Individual decisions and actions by a manager are subject to hours of conversation and a near-daily assessment of job performance. So when messages are delivered by a manager to his team, they reverberate beyond the walls of the clubhouse in a way that can impact his job security — or at least the perception of it.
Such was the case when Farrell decided to hold a closed-door team meeting in the wake of Monday’s ugly loss to the Rays. At a time when conversation about his job security is a constant, there could be a neck-on-the-line feeling about a decision to address the team in an effort to sharpen its focus.
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Had Rick Porcello fallen on his face and put the Red Sox in a 5-0 hole Tuesday, or had the Sox been sloppy in an error-prone loss, it would have been almost impossible not to view that performance as an indictment of Farrell’s ability to lead his team.
There was, in a sense, some personal risk in the decision to hold a meeting.
Of course, inaction also represented a risk at a time when the team is nearing the conclusion of its worst month of the season. Ultimately, Farrell’s decision to address his team had nothing to do with personal implications of doing so.
“John felt strongly that this was the right time,” said bench coach Torey Lovullo. “Speaking from experience, remembering some times I’ve brought teams together, you have a feeling that this needs to be done. If it’s not done the right way, players won’t get the message. It’s very important, when you know you can speak from a place of passion and you feel it, that’s when it’s the right time.
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“I can guarantee that we’re all fans of the town of Boston. We love Boston. We love being there, but I know that the most important thing to John is what happens inside the clubhouse, the players in the clubhouse. I know that’s where his thoughts were on that day.
“I’m certain that he felt like he didn’t really care what happened outside the walls of this clubhouse in that moment.”
Indeed, Farrell suggests he has to operate in a bubble of sorts. His approach to his job, he said, cannot be affected by perception.
“Honestly, it’s going to be there,” Farrell said about the public speculation about his job security. “I don’t wake up on any given day thinking, ‘Oh, it’s more today than it’s been.’ I don’t have a speculation gauge.
“I recognize that this is a position, because of our people that are passionate and care about the Red Sox, you love that fact. When times are good, it’s what makes this the most special place to be.
“You also recognize that because of expectations, it can be a difficult place as well. But I don’t make decisions based on that. My focus is the guys in that clubhouse and what’s hopefully best for us as a team, best for individuals.
“More importantly, what prompted that the other night, there were some things happening where, we’re better than this, and we need to be better than this. There was a balance of positive and areas of unacceptable performance, and I think it’s important to recognize that there’s still a lot of things going well here, but there are still some things we need to tighten up on.”
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On Tuesday night, the Red Sox played one of their sharpest games in weeks in an 8-2 victory. It’s a single game, so it’s difficult to say whether the note that Farrell struck Monday had any significance, or any connection to the win.
In isolation, the single win won’t stifle questions about his job security if the Red Sox revert to some of the ugly play that characterized their play over the last homestand and through the first four games of the road trip.
But the way the team performed, whether through its aggressiveness when taking extra bases or attention to some of the details that had proven elusive in the preceding three-game losing streak, offered Farrell a reminder of what the Red Sox had been for much of the year, and what he believes they can be.
“If there’s a measure to which someone is going to be judged, look at the intensity and energy we bring every day,” said Farrell.
“We’re not a perfect team. We’re not going to get every play right. But if we can focus and succeed on the things we have control over — our intensity, our attitude, our energy — then you know what? This is one hell of a group that I love being with.”
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Follow Alex Speier on Twitter at @alexspeier.