Fire Out?

It seems that all the controversy with Valentine calling out Youkilis may appear to be over. According to The Boston Globe, Cherington, Valentine, Youkilis, and Pedroia all appear to be over the whole incident. It is interesting to point out that Cherington had to get involved.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, look at the previous post under “The Ugly.” It sounded ugly, but how should we, the fans, take Valentine’s remarks? Was Valentine simply implying that Youkilis didn’t look like the player we’ve been accustomed to seeing over the years in the first two series of the young season? Maybe.

As a spectator, Youkilis didn’t look as locked in as he has in the past. This is not saying that he wasn’t “physically” or “emotionally” in the game. Youkilis has always been one of the most emotional players on the field. You can definitely tell when he’s upset and when he’s excited.

If Valentine was stating that Youkilis didn’t look as he has in the past, I agree with that. Of course, every player goes through slumps, and Youkilis just happened to start out in a slump. We’ve all seen our favorite players in those ruts that they don’t appear as engaged as they are when they’re hot. To me, that’s how Youkilis looked at the plate.

Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy, the NESN commentators, were quick to note when Youkilis hadn’t had a hit in the first series and his strikeouts. This is their job; they’re supposed to point these things out. However, Valentine’s job is to be behind his players. He’s not supposed to say his player isn’t “physically or emotionally in the game.”

Valentine quickly clarified his statement and apologized, in person, to Youkilis. Youkilis replied after today’s 1-0 loss to the Rays that he and Valentine were “fine.” And what about Valentine’s relationship with the unofficial captain of the team, Pedroia? Valentine stated, “(Pedroia) said we’re cool.”

Valentine has made it very apparent in his short tenure with the Sox that he enjoys talking, which can get him into trouble. I was a little surprised that Cherington got involved, but I guess that’s his job as the GM. Cherington made some good points with his quotes in The Boston Globe, though it seemed to be a bit of a PR move:

I think as with many things in baseball and life, the more you get a chance to talk about it and understand what people mean were and how they perceived something, that’s what allows you to get past it. Kevin and Bobby spoke. I spoke to Bobby, I spoke to Kevin.

What needed to be said has been said and we’ll move forward. I was surprised to see the quote. I didn’t see the interview live, but I had it in that context. I was surprised because that’s not something Bobby had expressed to me. And we’ve all seen Kevin play for a long time and never wondered why he wasn’t into the game. He plays hard every day. That’s why it’s important to talk about it. I understood better what happened and we were able to talk through it.

[Valentine] hadn’t seen the same player on the field that we have all seen in the past. So he acknowledged that first of all, and said it was not the best way to express it. He told the same thing to Kevin and apologized. He had a chance to explain what he meant. I think we’ll all learn from it and handle it differently next time.

I’m hoping that the Red Sox can put this whole thing behind them and move on from this embarrassing situation. They almost swept the Tampa Bay Rays (taking 3 of 4), and Bard, their 5th starter, pitched a heck of a game today. I think Valentine may have kept Bard in for too long: Bard- 7.2 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts, 115 pitches. Bard gave up his run on a bases loaded walk to Evan Longoria in the 7th inning. He was pulled afterwards.

Bard’s outing today and the offensive beating the Red Sox gave to the Rays in the previous three games are definitely things to be happy about and build on. I see a lot of potential with this club. Hopefully, our manager can just let the players play and get behind them, not cause more problems.

** I don't know how much longer I will be continuing this blog.  It was brought to my attention that I don't have any follows and the people I thought would read my blog are not.  So, this week I'm going to take some inventory on how much time I spend on the blog, how many people are viewing it, and if it's doing what I hoped it would do.  I plan on making a decision by this weekend.