Brass tacks

“I realize how incredibly lucky I am,’’ said Cherington, the 11th man to be named general manager of the Sox. “This is one of the best jobs you can have.’’

A member of the organization since 1999 when he was hired as an amateur scout, Cherington was a popular choice to replace Theo Epstein among members of the baseball operations staff. Many of his colleagues showed their support by attending the press conference and applauding when team president Larry Lucchino introduced Cherington.

Conspicuous by their absence were team owners John Henry and Tom Werner. Although the press conference was announced Friday, Lucchino said they could not adjust their schedules and were out of state. Lucchino spoke in their place, praising Cherington for his intelligence, leadership skills, and loyalty.

“I cannot at this point in Red Sox history imagine Ben with any other organization and I have trouble imagining the Red Sox without Ben Cherington,’’ Lucchino said.

Only a few hours earlier, the Cubs introduced Epstein as their new president of baseball operations. Epstein left the Sox after nine successful seasons that included two World Series championships.

The challenge for Cherington will be to continue that success while putting his own imprint on the organization. His promotion comes at a time of chaos, with the Red Sox, a team with a $161 million player payroll, having collapsed in September and missed the playoffs for the second straight season.

That led to the departure of manager Terry Francona amid since-confirmed reports that players were drinking beer during games and had lost respect for authority.

“We’ve let our fans down in some important ways recently,’’ Cherington said. “The last few weeks have been painful, difficult. But what I’m left with is an incredible conviction that the Red Sox will be the best organization in baseball.’’

Cherington said the Sox are on solid ground, and following the blueprint left by Epstein makes sense in many ways. But Cherington also plans to make changes that reflect his background as a talent evaluator.