Valentine’s Day came early for the Boston Red Sox when the club announced on Dec. 1 that Bobby Valentine had been hired as their new manager, replacing Terry Francona. Valentine had spent the last couple of years working behind the microphone for ESPN. However, if he doesn’t produce he might not be around for too long since he was given just a two-year deal with options for the following two seasons.
There are many baseball experts who believe the Red Sox are still after Toronto Blue Jays manager John Farrell, whose contract with the Canadian team conveniently expires in two years. But for the time being, the 61-year-old Valentine’s in charge and he has his work cut out for him as the franchise’s 45th manager. His resume is pretty good; having taken the New York Mets to the World Series back in 2000 and winning a Japanese championship series in 2005 with the Chiba Lotte Marines, but a World Series win has eluded him so far.
His stint with the Red Sox could change that since they’re still one of the top MLB teams out there. His introductory press conference was filled with the usual quotes about how thrilled he is to be there and that it’s an honor to be working with one of baseball’s most storied franchises. John Henry, the club’s principal owner, joined the love-in and said Valentine’s the right man for the job and should be able to lead the team to the playoffs for the next two seasons.
However, things might have changed a little since Valentine last managed in the Major Leagues, which was back in 2002 when he led the Mets to a 75-86 record. He started managing with Texas in 1985 and spent eight years with the Rangers, with his most successful one coming in 1986 when they finished in second place in their division. He joined the Mets in 1996 and won the NL pennant in 2000. He had two stints in Japan with Chiba, which were 1995 and 2003 to 09.
While Valentine’s known for being pretty opinionated, he’s also got one of the best baseball minds out there and is pretty solid tactically. The Red Sox need somebody who can instil a bit of discipline as last season they became the first MLB team in history to blow a nine-game lead in September and miss the postseason. When the season ended stories about the players’ work habits and conduct angered the club’s management and fans as it appeared the inmates were running the asylum.
Valentine said he doesn’t know what happened last September, but is going to give the players the benefit of doubt and is looking forward to working with them and earning an excellent reputation with the fans. He said he’s also looking forward to playing the hated Yankees 18 times a season. His appointment surprised some people though since his name was never mentioned publicly by the team while it was searching for a new dugout boss, plus the fact he’s been out of the Majors for a decade. Valentine now has two seasons to show Henry that he made the right choice.
