IN RETROSPECT, Joe was pretty incongruous on a team like the Sox, a team overpopulated with archetypes of the Great American Crybaby.

Young was only the worst offender. At various times, he blamed his horrible pitching on Morgan, shortstop Luis Rivera and the American League schedule. Remember, we're talking about a guy who cannot even throw the ball to first base. (Of course, Young insists that this psychological "disease" is not his fault. All I know is, he's getting paid $6 million and he really sucks.)

But his teammates were just as immature. After Greg Harris choked away a crucial September game, walking home the tying and winning runs on eight straight pitches, he had the gall to blame umpire Vic Voltaggio for "squeezing the strike zone." After Jack Clark, another multi-million dollar bust, struck out three times in an extra-inning loss, he blamed Morgan for being a lousy motivator. After left fielder Mike Greenwell attacked first baseman Mo Vaughn with a bat, Greenwell blamed the media for "blowing this out of proportion."

Blame the umps, the media, the schedule, the weather. Blame your teammates, your trainers, your fans, your manager. Blame anything--the manager is just the easiest option, especially when you know the manager isn't going to blame you back.

But the Red Sox don't need a new manager. They need pitchers who can get people out. The Sox have serious problems (if baseball problems can ever be serious) that need to be addressed if they are ever going to win their first World Series since 1918. They have to stop picking scapegoats and start picking some right-handed power hitters.

And I'm sure they will. As soon as Americans stop blaming our nation's problems on Japanese trade restrictions or Colombian drug lords or Korean greengrocers or some all-encompassing notion of Evil.

Because the fault is not in our stars. Nor is it in our accountants, our PMS, our Twinkies, our horoscope, our managers. The fault, dear Lou Gorman, is in ourselves.