"The cesspool that was the Red Sox clubhouse has been laid bare, and the stench is overpowering. Now begins the toxic cleanup, a job likely to fall to GM-in-waiting Ben Cherington.

If there's a silver lining, it's that Cherington will have the power to clean house bloodlessly and emotionlessly. It's a skill the Sox front office admires of Patriots coach Bill Belichick, who long ago drowned his sentimentality in a tub.

But scrubbing the margins won't cut it. Bid adieu to veterans Tim Wakefield [stats] and Jason Varitek if you want — truly altering clubhouse culture requires bigger changes."