It seemed like we were getting so close. John Henry made an impromptu appearance on 98.5, stood up to the loudest media mouths, and did his best to finally lay the 2011 season to rest.
For a few days, it worked. Sox stories were few and far between, and attention seemed to shift to the Patriots aside from the ongoing talks over the compensation for Theo Epstein. It seemed like maybe the clubhouse story could be shelved for long enough that ownership might re-instill confidence in the organization with a strong offseason.
And then Jon Lester made the media rounds hoping to do damage control, and instead managed to bring the story right back to life. Please, Red Sox players and personnel, just stop it.
It seems obvious right now that the situation in the clubhouse isn't going to be improved by the continued attention of the media. It seems as though every time someone involved speaks up, all we get from it is a new round of scathing narrative and drama (much of it from Curt Schilling, who is past the point of beating a dead horse at this point) that the Sox could certainly do without. Just ask Papi.
If the Sox could just be quiet for a while, the media will be forced to move on instead of, say, ordering buckets of Popeye's chicken on-air. This story only has so much run before everyone is tired of it, and if no fuel is added to the fire in the form of details, denials, or confirmations, then it will--as all stories do--die a natural death in time for the offseason to begin in earnest, allowing the Sox to at least put on a less-chaotic front for potential offseason acquisitions.
If they just let it die, then four months from now the Sox can head down to Florida free of drama and make a new start of things. One they desperately need.