BOSTON -- For the last five years, working as the director of player development for the Cleveland Indians, John Farrell seemed poised to one day become a major-league general manager. So it surprised some that Farrell accepted a position to become the new Red Sox pitching coach.

"A daily competitive fire exists within me," said Farrell in a conference call with reporters yesterday, "and I think the opportunity that's been presented to help make in-game decisions that have the potential to affect the outcome on a daily basis is a tremendous opportunity. Not only that, but to do this in Boston, in an on-field environment that might be the best in our industry, is really what came to the forefront when talking to (manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein).

"There was a lot of thought, a lot of personal reflection in making this decision. But those were the core elements. And to do it with people you trust and respect, in the end, it became a very clear decision in my mind."

Farrell spent parts of eight seasons in the big leagues and later coached at Oklahoma State University, his alma mater. He twice crossed paths with Francona during his playing career and the two struck up a friendship that continued past Farrell's time as a player.

He replaces Dave Wallace, who was informed the day after the regular season that he would not return after 3 1/2 seasons.

"I was fortunate enough to know John in the past and play with him a little bit," said Francona, "and to know not only how he feels about the game, but also the respect he has for people in the game. I wanted someone I was comfortable with, someone Theo was comfortable with, someone ownership was comfortable with and someone the players would be comfortable with.

"This isn't something where you start rounding up friends. What I wanted was someone who I thought could be an outstanding pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox. That's why this ended up being an easy decision."

Added Epstein: "I think we were looking for someone who would take a very broad view of the job and be able to make a real impact on our pitching. This is about wins and losses, and I think John has a really good feel for what makes pitchers succeed, from a mental standpoint as well as a physical standpoint, and has faced some of those challenges himself -- not only as a player, but also as a collegiate coach and as a farm director -- and is able to help our players make the adjustments to succeed on all those fronts. We think he's going to make a real impact on this organization and help us win through good pitching."

Farrell inherits a pitching staff that ranked 11th in the American League and boasts both established veterans (Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield) and promising young arms (Jonathan Papelbon, Craig Hansen, Manny Delcarmen) who have been inconsistent at times.

"I look forward to building relationships with individual pitchers," said Farrell, 44, "and ultimately getting them to reach their full potential. I think there's a core group of young arms that are in the transition stage and really beginning to establish themselves at the big-league level. They're going to be very exciting to work with.

"All three have the physical attributes you're looking for. The one thing each will continue to pursue is their own personal awareness: how do they view themselves, what do they know about their current limitations, what adjustments we need to outline for them and how we go about (reaching their) goals."

Epstein said that Al Nipper, who served as the interim pitching coach while Wallace recovered from hip surgery the first four months of this past season, will speak to Farrell soon about returning to the position of bullpen coach, the role for which he was originally hired.

The GM added that the club was "moving forward" on a replacement for Ron Jackson, recently dismissed as hitting coach. Dave Magadan, recently hired by the organization in an unspecified role, is a leading candidate.

smcadam@projo.com / (401) 277-7340