Bye Bye Bobby!

Finally! Bobby V has been fired. He might not have been the primary source of 2012's troubles, but he was not helping the situation whatsoever. I'm so glad he's gone. Now Pedroia can do his thing. Many sporting outlets have already been formulating lists on who the next manager should be. Tek would be cool, but he's the GM's assistant now. One day. Here are my Top Five candidates with the best in bold:

• Mike Lowell: 2007 World Series MVP, great guy to be around in the clubhouse. Mike Lowell was only on the team with about six of the remaining players, so they won't consider him a pal.
• John Farrell: This is many people's first choice. Long-time Red Sox pitching coach. Now he's in Toronto. My only concern is that he hasn't really established himself yet. Inconsistent.
• Bud Black: A close friend of Tito and current Padres manager. San Diego wasn't a complete disaster this year. He knows how to find a team's chemistry quickly.
• Curt Young: Currently the Oakland A's pitching coach. Oakland may not be known for their pitching, but he's groomed pitchers that have gone elsewhere such as Zito, Gio, and Cahill.
• Bill Mueller: He's probably the dark horse here, but Mueller was good when he was in Boston. The only one who played with him is Ortiz. Mueller is definitely my choice.

Who's yours?