FRIDAY MORNING, the focus of Red Sox Nation trained on an ESPN report detailing the dysfunctionality of the Boston clubhouse, the most salacious of the accusations centering on rumors that some players and coaches are so displeased with Bobby Valentine that some talk about him behind his back, and some don’t speak to the manager at all.

But by Friday afternoon, team president Larry Lucchino had made something clear: When it comes to what’s wrong with the Red Sox, it’s the not the discord. It’s the disconnect.

In a letter addressed to season ticket holders, and written on behalf of John Henry and Tom Werner, Lucchino used 492 words in an attempt to make sense of the team’s 43-43 first half — referring to it at as “maddening one day, enthralling the next” between the plugs for his ballpark that came at the beginning and end.

In theory, it’s a good idea. The team with baseball’s third-highest payroll entered the All-Star break with the most mediocre record possible and tied for last place in the American League East. Their fans deserved an explanation.

But instead they got excuses and a glimpse into the way the expectations and standards of excellence have been lowered at the upper levels of this organization.

Consider this paragraph of the letter: “The one constant off the field is that we have had a veritable All-Star Team on the disabled list. As we begin the second half, we look forward to the return of the ‘varsity,’ including Jacoby Ellsbury, Carl Crawford, Andrew Bailey, and the ever-dirty Dustin Pedroia.”

Even if we ignore the word choice that minimizes the contributions of guys like Daniel Nava, half the bullpen and, lately, Pedro Ciriaco by implying they’re merely “junior varsity” players — and choose not to see that slight as evidence of this ownership’s obsession with stars — these sentences stand as the letter’s only attempt to explain where things went wrong.

No mention of poor starting pitching, or inconsistent offense, or trouble beating winning teams, or anything that could stand to improve. Nope. They were hammered by injuries, Lucchino points out. And while that is undeniably true, they weren’t the only team forced to face that plight. It surely wasn’t the sole reason for their struggles — and it certainly wouldn’t have been a good enough answer in the earlier, hungrier days of this ownership group.

Back then they wouldn’t have settled for this easy and convenient excuse. They may not have done anything about it by now, and they may have privately exercised patience and executed their plan had a similar rash of injuries left them in the same predicament.

But there’s no way they would’ve come out and, when facing a 9½-game deficit in the race for a division that hasn’t been this worth winning in 17 years, said publicly that the team essentially deserves a pass for its underperformance. It’s simply not what they were about, and it isn’t how creative competitors committed to winning should ever be thinking.

The rest of the letter makes little secret about what they’re really committed to at this point. Lucchino refers to Cody Ross as cheerful, Mike Aviles as friendly, Nava as inspiring and David Ortiz as gregarious. He touts the play of Will Middlebrooks and Jarrod Saltalamacchia — a couple of building blocks for the brand. He makes sure to encourage fans to come early and take in the museum that’s been made of Fenway Park’s concourses, because their stadium “probably leads the league in bronze plaques and commemorative displays along the concourses.”

They’re committed to marketing the product, and protecting television ratings, and sustaining interest at a time when the team on the field just isn’t doing that by itself.

For years, pink hats, the infamous sellout streak and Sweet Caroline have bore the wrath of fans disappointed by what the focus of Fenway has become. But that blame has long been miscast. Each of those was just as prevalent, and the ballpark was just as full of for-the-scene fans, back when the team was winning two World Series in a four-year span.

The difference then was that ownership demanded that the on-field product be deserving of such blind adoration. No matter what obstacles it needed to overcome in order to make that happen.

In his letter, Lucchino does indicate that his general manager will endeavor to that this year. “You can be sure that Ben Cherington and his Baseball Operations Staff will approach the July 31 trading deadline with their tireless work ethic,” he wrote. “If someone can further help this club, and if the deal makes sense, we will be aggressive.”

That shouldn’t need to be said. The recipients of this letter pay baseball’s highest ticket prices. And they pay them 81 times a year. There is no need to promise what most consider to be a minimum expectation.

But maybe they’ve just become so disconnected they’ve forgotten that themselves.

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With Carl Crawford scheduled to return on Monday, the Red Sox could have their intended outfield for the first time this season — and, based on the splits, that could mean less Cody Ross.

If Crawford is healthy and productive enough to play left field every day, Ross and Ryan Sweeney will share time in right. And they’ll likely split it depending on who’s pitching for the opposition. Entering Saturday, Ross was hitting .322 with a 1.185 on-base plus slugging against lefties, and just .238 with a .750 OPS against righties. Sweeney, meanwhile, was a paltry .111/.325 versus lefties, while hitting righties at a .297/.753 clip.

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STAT OF THE WEEK: After two more on Friday night, Ortiz had been intentionally walked 13 times this season. His next would tie him with the number he received in 2010, which trails only his 23 in 2006 — the year he hit 54 home runs — for the most in his career.

Dave D’Onofrio covers the Red Sox for the New Hampshire Union Leader and Sunday News. His e-mail address is ddonof13@gmail.com.