Bobby Valentine comes to Yawkey Way to Manage Boston Red Sox

Valentine Named new Skipper of the Boston Red Sox

Well, that was interesting.

 

There's been lots of info published about what we can expect from Valentine. Here's my take on this very surprising managerial hire.

Maybe Anyone Can Manage

Spring Training Will Be More Interesting

Ok, maybe not, but without doubt the manager of the Red Sox gets more access to information than probably any other manager in the game, and a team of folks who love spending time figuring out how to use that information. Personally, I agree with the sentiment that managers get too much credit when the team wins, and too much blame when they lose. Having said that, a good manager who has the "feel" of his team seeming can steal wins from time to time, especially in the playoffs. What I hated about Grady Little was I always felt if the game got tight he'd make a colossal blunder, and with Francona, who was so steady and rational, it almost became robotic. He always had a reason, and they were usually good ones. But both guys were capable of getting the team to the post season and winning winable games.  So will the combination of his knowledge and his ability to keep players on edge keep the team at the top of the standings?  We'll see - but probably yes, for a while.

At Least it Won't be Boring!

I don't think anyone believes that Valentine won't be a media darling - at least for a little while. It should be like Parcels part deux. I'll be the first to admit that I used to watch a lot of the post game press conferences- until I figured out that Francona was NEVER going to throw anyone under the bus, NEVER going to be unprepared for a question, and NEVER not be able to give a plausible explanation. Even when he was full of it, you could usually figure out the reason why - who he was covering, who he was protecting. I don't expect Valentine to be lashing out at players or throwing them to the wolves, but he will give the media and the fans more than a few sound bites to chew over, and probably be more likely to show us who's behind the curtain and what they see. Good Stuff.  And hey - at least he hates the Yankees.

 

Is there a managerial back-up plan?

It is possible that the Sox feel that there's not much risk here - if Valentine doesn't work out, they'll be able to go after a couple of other more acceptable candidates (like John Farrel) when his contract is up. After all, although certainly spry, Bobby V isn't getting any younger, so there could certainly have multiple outs for not spending much time with him. On the other hand, if he meshes with Cherington, the staff, the media, and the team, I'd expect them to ride him as long as he's willing to go - same as Francona.

 

Do Good Things Today!

Matt Heisler