Bobby V

Bobby Valentine replaced Terry Francona as the Red Sox manager this off season, and many of the coaches that we fans have been accustomed to seeing year after year are also gone. It’s a strange feeling as we look at the “man who invented the sandwich wrap” as the leader of our beloved Red Sox. Before I get into my feelings on Bobby Valentine, I think it’s appropriate to discuss Terry Francona, quite possibly the best Red Sox manager there has ever been.

Terry Francona took over for the Red Sox after the heartbreaking 2003 season and ultimately, lead the Red Sox to two World Series Championships. He was a player’s manager, someone the players could come to for various reasons. Everyone knew the stories of the daily cribbage games between Francona and Pedroia and the proud look on Francona’s face when Lester threw his no-hitter after battling cancer. Over the years, we watched the familiar scene of Francona’s mouth filled with chew, then bubble gum, then chew, and finally bubble gum again (I’d hate to be the person who had to clean the dugouts after a Sox game).

But the September collapse happened. Chicken and beer- gate happened. As Sox fans, we were helpless as we watched our beloved team lose game after game. They seemed to play without any heart, and the sizeable play-off lead dwindled until the Sox missed the playoffs during the last game of the season. I don’t want to say it was Francona’s fault because he wasn’t one of the people playing, eating chicken, or drinking beer (sorry, had to have one last reference), but everyone knew there needed to be a change.

Whether Francona was forced out or decided to leave on his own, we may never know. But Francona left, Epstein jumped ship to the Cubs and left his replacement, Cherington, to clean up the mess that he created, no one wanted to talk to the media that was involved in the collapse (players like Pedroia, Scutaro, and Ellsbury, who still played well in September talked the media). After what seemed like endless searching, the Red Sox signed Bobby Valentine to a two-year deal to manager the Sox.

I am still not sure how I feel about this choice in manager. I don’t remember when he managed the Rangers, but a Rangers fan I work with said he was a great choice. All I know about Valentine was that he coached the Mets, had some antics, coached well in Japan, and was a commentator for ESPN.

I won’t get into my feelings on Valentine’s commentating on ESPN too much. To say the least, I wasn’t a fan. In general, I’m not a fan of ESPN’s coverage of MLB anyway (MLB Network is by far the best). I often found Valentine a bit annoying while watching games (I will put this bias behind me though since I don’t really pay attention to baseball commentary now that I watch a lot more games thanks to my MLB package on my computer).

In terms as a manager, Valentine has a decent record, an overall .510 W/L percentage, most of the wins coming from the Mets from 1996-2002. He managed the Mets to an NL pennant in 2000 as well, so he has experience. With the candidates the Red Sox were looking at, I think Bobby Valentine was the clear choice to manage this Red Sox team.

However, I also think Valentine is just a place-holder. The Red Sox original choice for replacing Francona was Blue Jays manager John Farrell, the Red Sox’s former pitching coach. But Farrell signed a three-year contract with the Jays last off-season, and the Jays wouldn’t let Farrell go. So, the Sox knew they needed someone for only two years, which is why Valentine’s contract is for the two-years.

This off-season, I think Valentine’s done a great job at taming the media; Boston media is tough. He’s said all the right things like “I just want to beat the Yankees,” he’s reached out to most if not all the players, he has made his appearances at charities; he’s slipped into the managerial role seamlessly. Valentine clearly likes being in front of the camera, but the question remains, what kind of manager will Valentine be?