BALTIMORE -- It's cliche to say nobody deserves the fate the 2011 Red Sox found themselves with. But that's not true. Many, for various reasons, did.

But there was one victim of the worst September collapse in baseball history who didn't warrant such a path. He was the glassy-eyed man pinned against a wall moments after the Red Sox' season-ending loss to the Orioles Wednesday night, standing in front of a hungry media horde searching for answers.

His name is Terry Francona.

All the moves made by the Red Sox' manager through this disaster the team's general manager Theo Epstein identified as "one for the ages" weren't always spot-on. In Francona's world, criticism and second-guessing comes with the job, and when you blow a nine-game lead in the final month, those staples multiply exponentially.

But that's not the point. This was a manager who deserved better, in more ways than one.

It is unclear if the Red Sox want Francona back as their manager for next season. That's their prerogative. Or maybe they do value the 52-year-old's talents. Either way, the scenario presents a problem.

Francona's contract stipulates that the Red Sox have 10 days from Thursday (the end of the Sox' season) to make a decision on whether or not they wish to pick up his two-year option. That call will most likely well before the 10 days are up.

Let's say the Red Sox deem Francona to be the man for the job going forward. Well, if that is the case, the question has to be asked: Why weren't the manager's options picked up the minute any sort of free-fall started to percolate?

Yes, activating the manager's $4.25 million options for 2012 and '13 most likely wasn't going to fix a disastrous stretch of pitching performance. But it certainly might have tightened what eventually became an uneasy clubhouse chemistry.

Some would say you shouldn't compare clubs, clubhouses or the players who make them up. But an example of the kind of good that can be found with cementing the manager's lot in life occurred in a city where baseball is still being played. The Tigers extended the contract of their manager, Jim Leyland, through the 2012 season on August 8. Detroit was good before the announcement, residing in first-place with a 61-53 record, but after they were better, going 34-14.

The idea of not exercising a player's option during the final season of their contract -- as is usually the case when it comes to the Red Sox -- makes sense. Why commit to a player you have under your control when that player could suffer a serious injury, or experience a significant downturn in his performance?

But for a manager? Different story.

A manager might have better years than others, but, by and large, you know what you're getting. The work ethic. The philosophies. The acumen. The Red Sox knew what they had in Francona. Did they want to judge him on a disastrous final month of the season in which his starting pitchers went 4-13 with a major-league worst 7.08 ERA? If so, that is the most misguided idea of them all.

The talent, when healthy, on the Red Sox was unquestioned. But what should be noted was how difficult this collection of talent was to manage.

Even before the end came Wednesday night, the Sox were living with a more misfitted group than even could be found during the Manny Era. It certainly didn't help when the losses started to pile up, and people came looking for answers. But when those tough times began to gain steam, Francona was left too many times trying to manage individuals instead of managing a team.

For any baseball skipper, it is a dynamic that rarely lends itself to positive reviews.

What the Red Sox should have taken stock of when evaluating the merits of picking up the options was how Francona had figured it out. He knows the intricacies of guiding a baseball team in Boston, a skill few have come close to mastering at the level this manager has found. Mike Scioscia has figured it out in Anaheim. Ron Gardenhire has done the same in Minnesota. But, ask yourself -- how many more levels of expertise has Francona had to pin down compared to his managerial counterparts? Grass … greener … 

Maybe the Sox just feel like time has run out on Francona's managing shelf life in Boston and the recent collapse simply punctuated the organization's reasoning for not picking up the options. It happens. Perhaps the thinking of the team is that part of the dysfunction stemmed from a managerial tenure that had found its tipping point. A roster full of cemented roles, like the one befitting the Red Sox, can often expedite such views of some managers.

While we can say Francona is a perfect fit for this team, there is a possibility that the team has changed just enough that the organization feels a change is a necessity. Clubs evolve, as do personalities and their managers.

If this is the case, and the Red Sox have decided Francona isn't worth locking up for another two seasons, they might want to take a few days and think again. This is not a man or manager who deserves to be defined by what just transpired. His legacy should be -- and could eventually be -- identified as a borderline Hall-of-Famer, who is one World Series run away from solidifying his place in such a conversation.

Perhaps it is just time, from both parties' perspective.

This late-season nose-dive -- perhaps along with the uncertainty of his future -- clearly took something out of Francona. For a man who values happiness and contentment over every last dollar, the idea of getting a fresh start in a place such as Chicago with the White Sox (a place he has a history with) might not be so bad. And with the prospect of losing even more of his original confidants (keep an eye out  in regards to bench coach DeMarlo Hale's candidacy if the Orioles job comes open), the continued change might be too much to ignore.

Simply put, if a commitment is going to be made to Francona it should have come well before we arrived at this point. And if it is decided that this disaster offered reason enough that he isn't the man for the job going forward, that decision should be re-evaluated.

Francona -- like most of his coaches, and many of his players -- did the job that was asked of him. The results weren't familiar, but the man was. And that's why he deserved, and deserves, a better fate.

"Tito can’t play the game," said Red Sox DH David Ortiz. "He can’t play. Tito just can tell us what to do and that’s about it. He can’t go out there and pitch or catch or hit. I don’t understand why people want to look at him like he has to take all of the blame. We have to take a lot of the blame for not executing at the right time, you know what I’m saying? He can’t go out there and pitch and catch and run for us. He just can keep up with things till one point. After that, this team has to take over."