Reader Weigh-In: How To Handle Farrell

Apr 5, 2013; Toronto, ON, Canada; Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell (53) reacts to fans before their game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY SportsAs expected, former manager John Farrell was met with scorn and disdain when he returned with his new team, the Boston Red Sox, Friday night. Fans were quick to boo him loudly and to throw unending insults his way whenever he came on the field.

At one point, when Farrell came out to make a pitching change in the 6th innings after a J.P. Arencibia lead-off double, fans even threw debris onto the field in some spots. While not necessarily the decorum you want to see from fans, you can respect the passion involved in the evening.

To Farrell’s credit he handled the situation well, telling the Boston Globe beforehand:

"“I fully respect and can understand the sentiment, the questions, and maybe what might transpire here tonight,” he said. “That, to me, shows that there’s a lot of passion here for baseball and I certainly fully respect all the changes that have gone on this offseason with the Blue Jays. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. And to work with [Blue Jays general manager] Alex [Anthopoulos], to work with [Blue Jays president] Paul Beeston, it was a great opportunity.”"

Blue Jays players themselves even handled the situation differently from the fans, preferring to concentrate on what good came out of the move and the season ahead. Jose Bautista being one of them:

"“We respect John and his decision to pursue his dream job, if that’s what he called it,” said Bautista. “We have a manager who wants to be here. We want people who want to be here. The opportunity came and he wanted to go there. I don’t blame him. That’s what he wanted. We wouldn’t want him to be here and wish he was there.” (USA Today)"

J.P. Arencibia was understanding of Farrell’s decision:

"“If you polled 100 people and said they could have their dream job, they’d take it,” said Arencibia. “So, that’s his dream job, that’s where his heart was. That’s what he did. I understand.”(USA Today)"

Interestingly enough, Red Sox outfielder/DH Jonny Gomes perhaps had the best line of the night, inciting fans towards him for the remainder of the weekend, telling reporters (USA Today):

"“A hostile environment, you get those little goosebumps,” said Gomes. “It’s good. They’ve been asleep here for 10 years.”"

So, now that we have had our say in the matter of John Farrell, what do you expect from Blue Jays fans moving forward in the series, or in future visits by the former manager?