It’s time.

A random and very unscientific poll of die-hard Red Sox fans yesterday found that slumping centerfielder Coco Crisp should be benched in favor of rookie phenom Jacoby Ellsbury — a move the Red Sox may very well make for tonight’s game.

Red Sox centerfielder Coco Crisp fails to lay down a bunt Thursday night in Cleveland.

The Providence Journal Bob Breidenbach

In a nutshell, Crisp is toast and it’s time to play the speedy Ellsbury.

“Coco Crisp is a bum,” said Tommy Tainsh, a bartender at Trinity Brewhouse in Providence. “I don’t know why we got him in the first place. He can’t even hit a ball when he’s bunting.”

The topic has been rapidly gaining momentum over the past few days as the bottom of the Sox batting order — Crisp and shortstop Julio Lugo — has been almost nonexistent in the American League Championship Series. Things worsened Thursday night, even though pitcher Josh Beckett dominated the Indians and rekindled hope that Boston can advance to the World Series.

Crisp was dreadful. He struck out in the fourth after fouling off two bunt attempts and finished the game wearing the collar — five at bats; no hits. He never hit the ball out of the infield.

In the ALCS, Crisp is batting a paltry .143 and he went 0-for-12 in the three games at Jacobs Field in Cleveland, where he played before he was traded to Boston two years ago.

Dr. Colin Harrington, a psychiatrist at Rhode Island Hospital, is a Coco fan, but the fortunes of the team are more important than that of one player. He knows it’s time for a change, and he’s hoping that change comes tonight.

Harrington, from the comfort of his living room on Thursday night, studied Crisp’s facial expressions and body language. In his expert opinion, Coco needs a break.

“I think that he is reaching inside and saying, ‘How can I be playing like this?’ ” Harrington said. “I’m impressed with his professionalism, but I’m frustrated with his lack of productivity.”

Let’s take a closer look at the players in question. Both are extremely fast and excellent defensive centerfielders. Covelli Loyce Crisp is 27 years old and has been in the major leagues for five years. There’s a good chance that he will win the Gold Glove award for centerfielders this year, the prestigious prize for being the best defensive player in the league in that position.

Crisp has had a rocky two years in Boston. He replaced the wildly popular Johnny Damon, who joined the hated Yankees as a free agent. Crisp was supposed to be better than Damon — younger, faster and a better throwing arm in the outfield. Also, how could anyone not like a grown man with a name like Coco?

The honeymoon was short-lived. Crisp suffered a finger injury early last season, had surgery and missed a good portion of the 2006 campaign. When he did play, he appeared uncomfortable and had a difficult time gripping the bat.

Crisp returned this year and had a terrible first half. Fans had grown tired of him. Things changed after the All-Star break, when he went on a tear and raised his batting average to about .280. His defense in centerfield was spectacular. It seemed like once or twice a week, he was on ESPN making another acrobatic catch.

In late June, Crisp suffered a thumb injury. Enter Ellsbury. He made his debut June 30 and legged out a grounder to shortstop, just beating the throw to first. The sold-out crowd gave him a standing ovation. Fans who had seen hulking sluggers lumber around Fenway Park for decades had never seen one of the hometown boys run like that.

On July 2, Ellsbury scored from second base — second base! — on a wild pitch. The fans gasped and roared with delight. A legend was born. Electricity filled the air whenever he got in the lineup. He made spectacular catches, stole bases and even hit three home runs. He finished the regular season with a .353 batting average. Crisp finished the season with a .268 average — not bad, but not great.

Everybody fell in love with Ellsbury.

The Crisp versus Ellsbury battle lay dormant during the first round of the playoffs. The Sox swept the Angels and the fickle fans were happy. No need to mess with success. That all changed last week after Cleveland won three straight games and took a commanding three-games-to-one lead over the Red Sox.

Now, it looks like the momentum may have shifted, and the Sox could win their next two games and return to the World Series. Of course, the fans believe that inserting Ellsbury in the lineup will seal the deal. Nobody seems to care that Ellsbury has yet to have an at-bat in the ALCS, or had only four at-bats against the Angels in the first round of the playoffs. Red Sox Nation is certain that the 24-year–old kid with 120 major-league at-bats is the answer.

Providence police Detective Sgt. Michael P. Wheeler, who heads the department’s gang unit, is in Ellsbury’s corner. He played baseball at La Salle Academy and his nephew, Dan Wheeler, is a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

“Jacoby Ellsbury should be starting,” Wheeler said. “He can’t do any worse offensively than what Coco had done.”

Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch took time from his busy schedule to weigh in on who should be in centerfield tonight. Yesterday at 1:31 p.m., he issued an e-mail called “Very important comment from AG Lynch re: ALCS Game 6 lineup switch.”

“As somebody who has recently shuffled my lineup, I think Ellsbury should start,” Lynch said, referring to his own office. “Coco’s playing scared, Ellsbury makes things happen, and, as much as I admire [Manager Terry] Francona’s loyalty to his players, we’ve got a ticket to the World Series on the line.”

After an extensive search, two Coco Crisp fans were found downtown. Claude Silvia, of Providence, and Sammy Roberts, who works in a restaurant in The Arcade, believe that Crisp is a better player than Ellsbury.

“I have no education, but I have a Ph.D. in common sense,” said Roberts, who is not a Red Sox fan.

At Murphy’s Deli & Bar, a large group of customers, many of them downtown construction workers, finished lunch and weighed in on the debate. Really, there was no debate. Everyone wanted to see Ellsbury in the lineup.

“Bench Crisp!” barked Don Essig, a construction worker at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. “Ellsbury all the way. Crisp is overpaid and unproductive. He’s a good outfielder, but he can’t hit a lick.”

At St. Andrews School in Barrington, Nancy Azano, a Red Sox loyalist, took a break from teaching to throw her support toward Ellsbury. She loves all the Red Sox players including Coco, but she knows that it’s time for a change.

“They need to stir up the lineup,” she said. “Ellsbury is so hungry for success.”