Bobby Valentine to Boston

He is a great baseball man. However, he is not the most diplomatic coach around. The players are going to know exactly what is on his mind early and often.

Being a Red Sox fan, I'm excited to see what Bobby V can do with some talent. Last year, this team definitely did not play up to their potential and as much as I like Francona it was probably time for a new voice in the dugout. I think Bobby has probably matured since his Mets days and by managing in a different culture like Japan and winning he is ready for this shot.

My initial reaction was that I was not in favor of Valentine to the Red Sox because of fit. I think he is a very good manager, but I have serious questions if he is the right manager for the Boston situation. Cherington is a new GM. Valentine is a veteran manager. Lucchino is a veteran baseball suit, and Red Sox ownership is meddling and hands-off depending on which way the wind is blowing. Valentine had not worked with anyone from this front office. We'll see how much they have his back when the Boston media inserts itself.

I really hope it works out as Valentine was the best manager available on the market. We'll see if he was the best available for the Red Sox situation. Maybe a roll of the dice is a good thing right now. I'm still a Francona fan. It is going to be a hard act to follow when Francona is the measuring stick.

I always liked Bobby Valentine. In 1971, I was 9 years old. My friend's dad's company had tickets right behind the visitors dugout at the brand new Veterans Stadium. We were banging on the top of the Dodgers' dugout before the game, and Bobby Valentine came out and looked right at us. We thought he was gonna yell at us. Instead, he chatted with us for about five minutes. He was really nice. I thought he was the coolest guy in the world. That first impression has stuck in my head throughout his whole career.* I hope he does well in Boston.

*Not that it ever mattered to them, but same goes for other players I 'met', especially those who weren't so nice.

FenwaySouth summed up my feelings pretty well. I was/am a huge fan of Francona. I like the hire of Bobby V but worry about the fan and media scrutiny he'll be under. I believe in the Sox organization and the talent they have on the field. It would not be a big surprise if they were to win it all next year but how about the long term for Bobby in Boston?

Wait till you guys get a load of Bobby V. It will definitely be entertaining. IMO he is a good manager and may do real well in Boston. How long he lasts is probably another story...

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/b...ry/22297882/33590876

With all due respect to the Boston media they cannot be any tougher than the New York media and there aren't as many. Consistent pitching is something that he'll worry more about than the sports page.

As a Met fan he can come back and bring us to the Series any time he wants! Waiting decades between trips isn't any fun.

I too was not enthralled when I heard Bobby V was being considered. But if it came down to him and Lamont I would rather take my chance with Bobby V. I just see him having a very short run with the Sox, but then again before Tito most managers were lucky to start a 4th year with the Sox..never mind finish one. Tito blew that out of the water with his stay. And surprisingly Bobby V did last 8 and 7 years with the Rangers and Mets, so you never know... Still think Tito will go down as best Sox manager ever.

Guess I am cautiously optimistic.

It's the classic sports hiring strategy. When the players tune out the mellow coach/manager bring in a more forceful leader. The opposite occurs too. When the players feel stomped on by a forceful leader a more passive person is brought in.

There's a window of opportunity for the Sox. They're making sure Valentine optimizes the opportunity. I'll still bet John Farrell becomes the Sox manager some day.

Got to love it...

http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/...boston-red-sox-early

One other advantage of having a new manager who is outspoken about player performance and not afraid to make unpopular moves is that when old heroes such as Ortiz or Varitek reach the end of the line, Bobby V doesn't have to worry about all they've done for him since he wasn't there for their great years. He can make moves that make sense in the lineup instead of letting past loyalty dictate what he does.

Is this really the best available option? I fear the Red Sox have entered the "lost years."

I've been a Red Sox fan since about '73.

IMHO, Valentine is a short term solution to their problems. He's probably going to last 3-4 years. Probably a short term injection of energy, which has sorely been missing, followed by a long, slow painful process until they change direction again.

Last year they had absolutely no energy, enthusiasm or sense of urgency. They really needed something 'different'. Valentine is different, but he wears thin quickly.

I actually think 2012 will be a good year for Red Sox nation. After that, probably not so much...

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_...kind-bobby-valentine

Here's Tim Kurt, Kurj, Kirk, aw what's his name's take on the Valentine hiring.

It's a very entertaining article and I think Valentine will be a very entertaining manager. Hopefully, a successful one as well.

Good article. Kurkjian gave examples for why Bobby V is a great choice. I really like that. Some of the other ESPN talking heads said great things about him mostly because they were his studio or play by play buddy. If Kurkjian is right, the Nation will get behind the new sheriff in town.

This is my favorite passage:

"Valentine will not allow Josh Beckett to not work in between starts. Valentine will find out how three of Carl Crawford's five tools disappeared last year, and he will make sure he finds them in 2012. He will not allow anyone from Red Sox management, be it John Henry or Tom Werner or Larry Lucchino, to walk into his office and tell him about how the game is played. And no manager in the game will outfox Valentine on any strategic move. In the one year I covered his team, and for the 30 years I have known him, not once have I asked him a question about a move he made in a game for which he didn't have a legitimate answer."

the bottom line for the redsox problems last year was Rick Farrell being in TORONTOand not in Boston

the redsox fans will love bobby V--- fun times are back in Beantown

How long will it be before he begins to bring in his “very close friends” from his days in Japan?

Being a Rays fan I hope he goes 0-162 ! Seriously though I think Bobby V will bring some control to the clubhouse and the beer drinking and chicken eating will be over with .

I think we as fans are of course allowed to have varying opinions about the Valentine hiring, after all it's what fans do. But when I heard some BoSox players were b******g and crying about his hiring, I agree with Jason Stark of ESPN and say they should of worried about that when they took advantage of Francona and cost him his job. Players with this attitude need to to be gotten rid of since they would rather be coddled and finish third two years in a row than have some discipline and win and this is the height of selfishness.

And now rumored that he may hire Bill Buckner as the hitting coach. My son had the honor of meeting the Buckners when he played summer ball. He roomed with Bobby Buckner with a wonderful host family.

The Buckners were there for a couple of weeks to watch their son. They were extremely nice to all the fans and player families but kept a pretty low profile. He was vilified so much after that famous error but has gone on to be a successful motivational speaker. I wish him luck with the Red Sox fans.

quote:

CABB said....And now rumored that he may hire Bill Buckner as the hitting coach.

I'm a kindler and gentler fenwaysouth than I was 25 years ago. I have come to accept that Buckner did not lose that game or series on his own.....he had a lot of help. With that said Buckner was one heck of a hitter for his baseball career .289 lifetime. Not HOF numbers, but I always thought he got the best out of his abilities. Hopefully he would be able to teach others well. I think it would be a great addition. Whether or not the "Nation" is ready to accept this possibility, I leave it up to them.

When he was with the Rangers he was well liked, but at the same time, wasn't he the longest running coach with one team to never make the playoffs?

quote:

Originally posted by fenwaysouth: Whether or not the "Nation" is ready to accept this possibility, I leave it up to them.

How's this for acceptance?

Dave Magadan to return as hitting coach

Rather than hitting coach, I'm more interested in who will pitch the 6th, 7th and 9th innings, who will DH, who will play RF and who are the 4th & 5th starters.

Just me...

EDIT: I originally asked who would be pitching the 6th inning but it just dawned on me, with no Dice K, Lackey or Wakefield maybe the starter pitches the 6th?

RJM,

I remember that opening day a few years ago. That fan reception was awesome. I was in Boston that day on business but couldn't afford (to scalp)tickets. That was a great moment in Red Sox history.

Magadan has certainly earned more than his keep. I'm glad he is sticking around and they were able to resign him. He had one of the sweetest swings as a player, and he has that history with Valentine as well.

quote:

EDIT: I originally asked who would be pitching the 6th inning but it just dawned on me, with no Dice K, Lackey or Wakefield maybe the starter pitches the 6th?

JMOff

That is very optoimistic of you! It would be nice to see some of our starters actually get all the way ;-) to the 6th. Possibly they will sign Wakefield (at a discount) to be that long or middle reliever? I'll get to back off my high blood pressure medicine as Dice-K and Lackey will be abscent for some time.

quote:

I was in Boston that day on business but couldn't afford (to scalp)tickets.

Here's a tip for anyone in Boston who thinks games are sold out. With the exception of Yankee games Sox games are not sold out. They hold back a couple of thousand bleacher seats for day of the game sales. There are also unused player's tickets.

When approaching the park it's one of the ticket windows down Landsdowne Street. Tickets go on sale two and a half hours before the game. You should get there three hours before the game. The one catch is you must enter the park immediately upon purchasing the tickets.

There are plenty of food options inside plus you can watch BP. When my son and I did this we got unused player's tickets in the sixth row behind the plate.

RJM,

You are so right. Two days before I got married in 1989 we went to a RedSox game. Clemens was starting, and he would got shelled by a Texas team that just had a killer offense. We couldn't get tickets or afford to scalp tickets at the time. We're hanging out on the curb on Landsdowne feeling pretty defeated. THis guy in an Armani suit comes out of the ticket office area and hands my future wife 4 tickets for FREE. Everything got much better from that point on.