More on Alcohol

I’d really like to stop discussing alcohol in relationship to the Red Sox, but things just keep popping up. It seems that with Valentine imposing the alcohol ban in the clubhouse and on flights, more and more stories keep popping up. Since I write about the Red Sox and this is what is going on with the Red Sox, I need to discuss it. So, here it goes!

Beckett did a radio interview on WEEI and, of course, alcohol and the banning of alcohol came up. Since Beckett was seen as the “ring leader” in the whole “chicken and beer-gate,” he knew this was going to come up. I liked Beckett’s response though. He said, “I don’t get paid to make those decisions. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Now, whether or not it really matters to Beckett is up to him. As I’ve stated previously, I was just looking for an “I’m sorry,” and a moving on from him, and he’s done that, in his own way. I’m not a fan of “tweaking” this story to create new stories and drama.

I do have to say that I liked David Ortiz’s response to the whole banning alcohol drama. Ortiz said, “It doesn’t matter. We’re not here to drink; we’re here to play baseball. It ain’t no bar.” Short. Sweet. To the point.

Joe Maddon, the Rays manager, has come out and said that he will not be banning alcohol because “they aren’t the Boston Red Sox.” I like Maddon, and I know that his was said as a joke. Maddon had no control over the Red Sox or what happened, and I’m sure he knows how lucky his team was for making the playoffs last year. It wasn’t just because the Red Sox drank alcohol in the clubhouse; the Yankees blew a lead in game 162 that moved the Rays into the playoffs.

Now, the news today is that Terry Francona was on the “Mike and Mike Show” this morning on ESPN radio. Francona is now employed with ESPN, so this makes sense. However, his response to the banning of alcohol was as follows:

"I think it's a PR move. I think if a guy wants a beer, he can probably get one. You know, it's kind of the old rule ... If your coach in football says no hard liquor on the plane — I mean, you serve beer and wine — somebody's going to sneak liquor on the plane. If you furnish a little bit, it almost keeps it to a minimum.

"I don't think it's a surprise that they put this in effect, or the fact they announced it. It's probably more of a PR move just because, you know, the Red Sox (took) such a beating at the end of the year."

*(For the record, Valentine’s response to Francona’s comments: " "I don't really have a comment on that. That means that 20 teams were looking for PR and that's why they're making good decisions? I don't have a comment on that…You get paid (at ESPN) for saying stuff. You get paid here for doing stuff. I've done both.")

Nineteen other clubs have banned alcohol, and Valentine has come out and said that he’s previously had that policy in other clubs he’s managed. Does Francona know these players well enough that he knows the players will “bend” the rules and “sneak liquor on the plane?” I’d like to think that professional athletes being paid millions of dollars have enough decency to follow the rules their employer and manager have put into place.

I like Francona; I loved watching “Tito” manage the Red Sox. I’m really starting to come around to Valentine as well; he’ll definitely make the season entertaining! But I think Francona and Valentine are two, completely different managers. Valentine seems to be more hands on, while Francona trusted his players to make the right decisions.

I know part of Spring Training is to “figure out” what went wrong the previous season and “fix it,” but I’m ready for this to be done. Move on. Move forward.

* IT WILL NOT END! Now more details on Beckett’s interview with WEEI have come out, and he is not happy! In the interview, Beckett said:

"Somebody made that stuff up, just like somebody made up that we were doing stuff … This is stupid. I don't understand what the big deal is. Somebody was trying to save their own ass, and it probably cost a lot of people their asses. The snitching [expletive], that's [expletive]. It's not good.

"There's two things with the clubhouse thing that I have a problem with: If I'm going to say something about the clubhouse, my name is going to be on it. The second thing is you never want to be remembered as that guy because that will follow wherever you go. It's just mind-boggling to me."

Valentine’s response to Beckett’s outburst is pretty calm and fair, in my opinion:

"Teams are built on trust, right? And teamwork. They are probably the two most important things that championship teams have. If there is distrust, I think, it eventually would have to be addressed. In my experience, those things usually present themselves."

Again, I say: Move on. Move forward. However, I have a feeling I’ll be writing a few more posts on alcohol and the banning of alcohol before Spring Training is over.