Terry Francona Beats John Farrell for Manager of the Year

The Manager of the Year award was voted on BEFORE the playoffs. So before you unleash all that the rage, remember that John Farrell was not a World Series winning manager when this award was decided.

You can make the argument for either Francona or Farrell to win this. Both teams improved dramatically from 2012 to 2013. Both teams made the playoffs. Both teams surprised everyone.

This award is frequently bestowed on the manager whose team's success was the biggest surprise.

Which surprise was greater? Farrell and the Red Sox finishing with the best record in baseball? Or the Indians winning 92 games?

Both were pretty surprising. Vegas odds gave the Sox an over/under win total of 82.5 and the Indians 76.5 (source). The Sox were given 30 to 1 odds to win the World Series. Both teams far exceeded expectations.

The Red Sox did suck in 2012, but they also had a payroll twice the size of Cleveland's to help them improve. And star players like David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury. Farrell definitely changed the culture in the clubhouse, and was a key part to this team's turnaround.

Farrell did indeed do more than Francona, but he did more with more.

I still would have voted for Farrell. He was a key component to the rapid transition in Boston. The team shed diseased body parts, and Farrell was the healthy managerial organ replacing the gangrenous Bobby Valentine.

It's impossible for me to go back to before the playoffs and say who I would have voted for then. Because I didn't care about Manager of the Year back then.

And neither did you! So why does anyone care so much now?

Who really cares? Francona never won the award here despite winning two World Series. Now Farrell wins the World Series and we're finding something to be pissed off about. I'm sure Farrell would rather have the team ring than the individual trophy. We had a parade for the rings. Cleveland won't do shit for the MOY award.

So stop whining, Red Sox fans. Francona did a fine job in Cleveland, the Indians had a good year, it's hard to argue that Francona doesn't deserve the recognition, so shut up.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo/Mark Duncan

People to Thank for the Red Sox World Series

Time to go to Hallmark and get some thank-you cards for a lot of people who made this World Series Championship possible. Here are the people who you should send your cards to...

1. The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers took all of the Red Sox' baggage. The Sox had a bad kidney (Gonzalez), infected tonsils (Crawford), and an appendix about to burst (Beckett), and the Dodgers accepted all of them. Then the Dodgers paid for most of the surgery. The Dodgers deserve their own duckboat in Saturday's parade for taking all of this payroll and malignant personality off of the Red Sox roster.

2. The Red Sox owners
The owners did the best thing that owners can do: delegate. Bob Kraft didn't become a good owner until he eased up and delegated. The Red Sox owners were good when they let Theo Epstein do his job, then they became overbearing, they then pulled back in response to the failures of the 2012 season. The best thing the Red Sox owners did in 2013 was what they didn't do.

3. Koji Uehara
Where would this team be if Uehara didn't emerge as one of the best closers in the game? Bailey and Hanrahan got hurt. Uehara filled a role that had been vacant since Papelbon was allowed to leave. And Uehara filled that role's brains out.

4. Ben Cherington
The Red Sox GM didn't go nuts, he didn't try to sign any "wow" free agents. He acquired guys who were hungry to win. Savvy ballplayers who knew how to do the little things. He didn't care that Stephen Drew was related to J.D. Drew. He signed Mike Napoli, who was starving for a ring. He made many small moves that combined to make a big difference.

The timing was right as there really weren't many big name free agents on the market anyway.

5. John Lackey
This guy pitched his ass off. He got no run support all season long. We all hated him. Many wanted him to be traded. He's a 35-year-old recovering from surgery, he pitched 189.1 innings in the regular season then 26 more in the postseason (including 1 in relief). And he still argued with Farrell to get just one more out in Game 6. He went from slacker to gamer. Lackey's hunger in 2013 (for doing well, not for beer and chicken) was a key part to the hunger this team had.

And again, give thanks to the Dodgers for not wanting to take this guy from us.

6. John Farrell
His in-game decisions weren't always correct. But trading for John Farrell was an important part to this team's success. He didn't try to discipline the players, he tried to make them more self-disciplined. He got the pitching staff to refocus, and he brought with him an attitude geared toward winning. Most importantly, he didn't put his own ego ahead of anything. If he made a mistake, he learned from it and made different moves. Pride is not one of John Farrell's faults.

7. J.J. Hardy, Jason Kipnis, Jose Bautista
I can't say I remember the All-Star Game. But these three guys all knocked in runs for the AL team. And that's why the Sox had homefield advantage in the World Series. Thanks, guys!

8. Pedroia, Lester, Ellsbury, all the rest of the players
The players who were here in 2011 and 2012 became reinvigorated. And the guys who weren't here brought a fresh energy. All the players, from Pedroia to Lester to Victorino to Bogaerts to Workman to Tazawa. They all gave 100%. Which you sadly could not say about the 2011 or 2012 Sox.

8. The Fans
Yes you. Your outrage over this team's failure in 2012 caused so much to change. In 2011, we weren't as angry as we should have been. And the owners thought they could use Francona as a scapegoat and we'd be happy with his dismissal. We were complacent for a time, until the team failed again in 2012. And the horrible managing of Bobby Valentine became evident.

We as fans actually accepted Bobby V. That's kind of sad. He was shit. Once the fans demanded that he be banished, along with all the other cancerous players and contracts, that's when things turned around. We threatened a revolution in Red Sox Nation and the front office responded.

So pat yourself on the back for being pissed about the 2012 season, then also ask yourself why you didn't start that season with the same skepticism.

Hopefully in 2014 Ben Cherington can continue to do his job, and the front office won't inflate attendance figures. Marketing people can market the team, and baseball people can assemble it, and baseball players can play baseball.

I Want to Go to Sacred Heart Because of Bobby Valentine

When Sacred Heart announced that Bobby Valentine would be their new Athletic Director, I began thinking of a way to experience firsthand the calamity and chaos that will undoubtedly unfold in Fairfield. I'm tempted to go to SHU for grad school. I want to be down there to see Bobby V AD.

What does an AD do? One thing they do that Bobby should thrive at is being ridiculously friendly. At Boston College, for instance, Gene DeFillippo always had a smile, and new AD Brad Bates shakes everybody's hand. They're like politicians. They want you to feel as though you have a personal connection with them and with their Department.

Bobby V can smile and work a room. So on the surface, he can do the most apparent thing ADs do.

ADs also delegate. That's probably the most important thing they do, assign responsibility Sacred Heart currently employs 8 Associate Athletic Directors. Not to mention the staff that run operations for each team, equipment managers, facility directors, marketers, coaches, schedulers, conference liaisons, and so on.

Delegating is not something Valentine does well. He has to be in charge of everything. He has to be responsible for everything. He's scared to let anyone else do their job.

Maybe Valentine will be a figurehead, and he won't have to do anything but be a friendly guy, give a few speeches, schmooze a few donors, and let his staff do the hard work and make all the decisions. For Sacred Heart's sake, I hope so. But for the sake of my own sadistic curiosity, I want him to have real power. I want to see him giving tips to a basketball coach in the middle of a game. I want to see him change the tennis team's diet. I want to see him change the hockey team's weight-training regimen.

I want to be close to his office, listen to him ramble on the phone, pretending to know everything there is to know about field hockey.

I want him to write columns in the school newspaper, laced with paranoia, in defense of his decisions.

I want him to use the media to call out one of the cross country runners for not working hard enough.

I want to buy the baseball coach a drink because that poor bastard now has the worst job in sports: trying to manage a baseball team with Bobby Valentine as your superior/overseer/overlord. How long until Bobby V is spotted in the stands of an SHU baseball game, wearing sunglasses and fake mustache of course, giving his own signals to the players?

So I will consider applying to Sacred Heart's grad school programs, just to be right on top of the bomb as it repeatedly explodes.

Red Sox Deja Vu

I keep checking my calendar. This is February of 2013, right? Because it feels eerily similar to February of 2012. At least the Red Sox of 2013 seem to be acting like the 2012 team..

Jon Lester is whining again, about not getting enough credit, about high expectations. He's reciting his stats and his record, and making excuses. He's become very annoying and very unlikable. He seems to care more about perception than performance. Just pitch, please.

David Ortiz is still making excuses and is still injured. He blames Bobby Valentine for last year's struggles. And he's still hobbled by an injury that a younger man (or a man taking HGH) would have healed from long ago. Ortiz, like a number of his teammates, made excuses in September of 2011, all throughout 2012, and they're starting off 2013 the same way. 2012 was all Bobby V's fault.

There is no sense of responsibility on this team.

Clay Buchholz remains fragile. Buchholz has always been an IHC (if he can...) type of pitcher. If he can stay healthy. If he can get off to a good start to a season. If he can pitch consistently. And in this Spring Training, many are still saying "If he can" about him, and still being optimistic. I've gotten to the point where it's "can he?" with Mr. Buchholz. Can he stay healthy? Can he pitch in April like he can pitch in June? I just don't know.

But there's a new manager in town, so things are different, right? We have a tough, no-nonsense, disciplinarian manager now. And he'll set the players straight.

Didn't people think that during February of 2012? Wasn't Valentine supposed to set the clubhouse straight, get rid of the alcohol, and stop pampering the players?

I like John Farrell much more than Bobby Valentine. As a Manager, however, what has Farrell accomplished that we here have so much allegiance and admiration for him? He was a decent pitching coach, and kept Beckett in line. At least for awhile. Why does that make us think he can solve all the problems this team has?

Farrell has already had to draw on his disciplinary tools in dealing with Alfredo Aceves. The versatile reliever was disinterested in participating. We have yet to see if Farrell's chat with Aceves will yield anything. At least Farrell didn't pull a Bobby V and embarrass the player in front of the whole team... for not properly doing a drill he was never instructed how to do.

And there's Pedro Martinez too. He can instill some discipline into these young men.

So not everything is the same as 2012.

Unfortunately, most things are. We still have an ownership with split attention between Fenway and Anfield. We still have spinster Larry Lucchino running things in Boston. We still have a puppet GM. We still have excuse making players. We still have whiny pitchers. We still have more "ifs" than "whens."

There is a new manager in town, and new special assistants to the GM. But how much influence does a special assistant to the GM wield over million dollar babies like Jon Lester?

There are new players in town. Role players and clubhouse character guys.

Though what does it say about a team if the most likable and respectable players are the new ones? What does it say if the likable and respectable guys are the middle-tier and bench players?

It's early. Change takes time. Maybe the Sox will change in 2013. But up to February 20th of this year, more has stayed the same than changed.

Should the Red Sox Sign Youkilis?

The Chicago White Sox didn't pick up the option on Kevin Youkilis, and I think this might be an opportunity for the Red Sox to pick up a talented and versatile corner infielder. If there weren't significant drama in the past.

On paper, signing Youkilis makes sense. The Red Sox, after trading Adrian Gonzalez, are in need of a first-baseman. And Youk is a Gold Glove first-baseman.

But there's some off-paper obstacles to Youkilis returning to Boston. While Bobby "physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past" Valentine is out of the organization, the GM who sent Youkilis to Chicago for Brent Lillibridge and Zach Stewart is still the GM. The owners who approved the deal still own the team. This organization shipped Youkilis to Chicago and not much has changed in said organization's structure.

The Red Sox could use Youkilis as a first-baseman, and a solid #6 hitter, but there might be too much water under the proverbial between Youkilis and the Red Sox for this to actually happen.

It's too bad. Because first-base is a glaring hole in the Red Sox roster going into 2013. A decent one is available on the open market, but he might be unattainable for the Red Sox.

Kevin Youkilis was one of the few likable players on this team, almost like a Kevin Garnett. I miss him.

The Celtics Compared to the Red Sox

The Celtics lost the opening game of the season 120 to 107, and that stinks. There's nothing much to like about the Miami Heat. Ray Allen was shooting well, and the Heat took advantage of that. Enjoy it when he misses free throws and big three-pointers, Miami.

Anyway, I'm not the biggest NBA fan in the world, or in Massachusetts, or in Norfolk County, or in my town, or even on my street. NBA basketball is slow. There are too many timeouts. The players mill about and chat when fouls are called. Twenty second timeouts last for 40 seconds. And the players dive. And scream during layups like they've been shot.

However, the Boston Celtics are quite likable as a team and as individuals. Let's just compare them to the Red Sox, perhaps the least likable team this town has had since the Red Sox refused to have black players.

Doc Rivers vs. Bobby Valentine
Rivers is universally respected. He's confident, strong, firm but fair. Bobby Valentine was universally mocked. He has a psychological complex (at least one, maybe more), he's cocky, he's inconsistent, and entirely unfair. Rivers is ten times the coach Valentine was. Maybe fifty times.

Let's compare the two veteran leaders of the C's to the leaders of the Sox. Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett both despise losing. Not winning is a disgusting concept to them. Compare that to David Ortiz who is more concerned about his contract. Compare that to Dustin Pedroia who used the media to undermine a manager (albeit a crappy manager). Compare that to players who count their days off, use injuries as an excuse, and text owners when they want to complain about something.

Speaking of owners, isn't it nice that you barely hear anything from the Celtics ownership? They've hired their people, and they sit in their luxury box, and watch the game. Compare that to the manipulative Larry Lucchino, who attempts to orchestrate everything from the clubhouse to the media.

Then there's the troublemakers. Rajon Rondo is the controversial player on the Celtics. Because he's not a great perimeter shooter. And he gets emotional, especially when things aren't going well.

Compare Rondo as a problem child to the babies on the Red Sox. Need I say more? Rondo is very well-behaved, and his biggest problem is that he wants to win too much. There's nobody on the Sox with that issue.

So while I'm not a huge fan of NBA basketball, I'd rather watch these guys in green play their sport, then the fellas at Fenway play theirs. Because the Celtics are likable.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bobby Valentine Throws David Ortiz Under the Bus

Bobby Valentine didn't make easy for himself in Boston. He tried to use the media as a tool but wound up injuring himself, like a child playing with a rotary saw. He still hasn't learned his lesson.

In an interview with Bob Costas on NBC Sports, Bobby V accused David Ortiz of quitting on the team once the Sox traded Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford on August 25th.

Hey Bobby, you're lucky Ortiz was trying until August 25th. And why should he push himself in a meaningless September? Why jeopardize that Achilles? Both David Ortiz and the Red Sox need that Achilles in functioning condition next year.

And that's assuming Valentine's accusations hold any merit. Which is quite an assumption. In the same interview Valentine denied that he ever said "Nice inning, kid," to Will Middlebrooks. What's particularly insane about that is that Valentine was the one who told the media he'd said that to Middlebrooks.

Bobby V has some deep-rooted psychological issues. He thinks these lies he tells are the truth. He's like Matt Damon in The Informant!.

Valentine also mentioned that front office personnel were frequently in his office before and after games. Although he had nothing but praise and sympathy for Larry Lucchino and ownership.

In Spring Training, Valentine berated Mike Aviles for not executing a relay drill properly. Valentine had never explained the drill to the players, so they confronted him about screaming at Aviles. In the interview with Costas, Valentine alluded to this attitude from the players: "I think that is unique to that group of guys. I don’t think it’s indigenous to all of baseball, or at least I pray it’s not."

The Sox have plenty of attitude problems, but this instance was Bobby Valentine's ego getting in his own way. And the incident probably ruined any chance he'd have at being respected by the players here. Why would you respect a manager who doesn't tell you what he expects you to do, then yells at you for not doing it?

That incident with Aviles was the beginning of the end for Valentine. And ironically it was Aviles who was sent to Toronto in exchange for Valentine's replacement.

Bobby Valentine is the least credible personality in all of sports. Because what he views as reality just isn't real.

So You Want Jason Varitek to Manage the Red Sox?

I think anyone who suggests that Jason Varitek be the next Manager of the Red Sox should be castrated/spayed, and forced to carry, by hand, all the snow and ice out of Maine this winter, and build a giant igloo gulag for themselves somewhere in central Vermont.

Jason Varitek is already a "special assistant to the GM" which means he will advise marionette GM Ben Cherington in "Major League personnel decisions, evaluations, and mentorship and instruction of young players." It's never bad to have experienced baseball minds adding wisdom to a dialogue, but ultimately there can be only one GM. In 2013, it seems like the already impotent Cherington will be "helped" by Varitek and baseball numerologist Bill James.

I wonder if, as Special Assistant to the GM, Mr. Varitek will sew an "SAGM" patch on the collar of his suits and polo shirts. Just like he wore that gaudy "C" when he was Captain. And if he ever becomes Manager, will he have the clubhouse attendants sew an "M" on his jersey?

Jason Varitek is not the solution to the problems the Red Sox have. In fact, NO MANAGER is the solution. Managers aren't supposed to be solutions to clubhouse or personnel problems. They're supposed to put the players in the best position to do their best.

If you hire a Manager, any Manager, with the intention of solving your problems, you've already failed. If you have problems so pressing and urgent that they dictate who Manages your team, the problems are too complex, and too endemic to be solved by any Manager.

So just hire someone that knows baseball, that is somewhat respectable, that can communicate with players, and that can absorb/deflect/ignore the media's scrutiny (instead of trying to utilize it like Bobby Valentine did). And who doesn't let extra letters be sewn onto his jersey.

Goodbye, Bobby V

It's official. Bobby Valentine is no longer the Manager of the Red Sox. There's no word if he'll stay with the team in the other roles he took upon himself: psychologist, motivational speaker, media manipulator, philosopher, food inventor. We know he won't be filling out any lineups, showing up late to the clubhouse, or forgetting which hand the opposing pitcher pitches with.

Bobby Valentine deserves blame for this 69 win season. Not all of it, not most of it, but a piece of the blame pie sits on his plate. More importantly, any future success will not be likely, and might not even be possible with him as the Manager. He's too distracting and too intrusive. He's a bad Manager. Maybe that's why the Red Sox were the only MLB team willing to hire him since 2002.

Valentine got fired not because 2012 was his fault, but because he's an obstacle to success in 2013.

I don't remember him doing anything smart. He called out Kevin Youkilis, then retreated. He didn't call out players like Josh Beckett. He made game decisions with pitchers, particularly Jon Lester, based on their self-esteem. He brought up subjects (such as Youkilis) with the media, then complained that media was talking about said subjects. It was as if he wanted to make his statement, convince everyone he was right, and move on without any further discussion.

The players didn't respect him from the start and why should they? I didn't respect him. The owners were wrong to give the players an audience for their grievances, but that doesn't change the fact that Valentine is not a respectable leader.

He's a clown. A buffoon. A quack. On a serious note I think he has some deep psychological issues. He has no actual confidence, just a mask of arrogance.

I wonder if he'll show up to Red Sox Spring Training next year wearing a fake mustache.

Red Sox Season Mercifully Ends

After six months of gruesome torture, Red Sox fans are finally free. This embarrassment of a season is over, officially in the books, and let us hope we someday are able to cope with this tragic experience, and move on with our lives.

This was the 14th worse season in Red Sox history. It's their 3rd worst since 1933, and their worst since 1965. 5th place, 24 games under .500, 26 games behind the Yankees, 24 games out of a playoff spot, 4 games behind the 4th place Blue Jays, 3 games behind the Royals, the 3rd worst record in the AL, 7th worst record in all of baseball.

At least that Sellout Streak is intact.

Game #162 was the type of pitiful game that the Red Sox frequently had all year long. Daisuke pitched 2.1 innings, allowed 5 runs off 6 hits and 2 homers. He ends the season with a 1-7 record, and an 8.28 ERA.

I am so full of harmonious joy that this was Matsuzaka's last start in a Red Sox uniform. Sayonara, Dice-K.

I am pleased that next year I won't have to cheer for Josh Beckett. I felt vile when I was happy to see Josh Beckett succeed.

I am thrilled that Bobby Valentine managed his last game in Boston. It's a wrap, Bobby.

So there are some things to be happy about.

Then again, Larry Lucchino's job seems far too safe. I really don't think Ben Cherington is a good GM (Josh Reddick for Andrew Bailey?). Who will be the new manager? Who will be the Opening Day starter? Who will be the closer? How much influence will Lucchino have in answering these questions?

On the bright side, tickets will be even easier to acquire next year. And I really doubt that the Sox will raise prices.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Milestone Loss for Red Sox

The Red Sox were swept by the Orioles, and ended their September by losing 9 of their last 10. Yesterday they lost their 90th game of the season. They haven't lost 90 games since 1966.

What makes that year important in Red Sox history is that it came before one of the most critical years in the club's history: 1967 (The Impossible Dream Season). Before 1967, this town was not obsessed with the Red Sox, far from it. This town didn't really care about them. Nobody went to the games. 1966 was their 8th straight losing season. Before 1967, the Red Sox were irrelevant.

In 1967, under a new manager, the Sox went 90-72, won the pennant, and lost the World Series in 7 games. They didn't win it all, but they ended a 21 year playoff drought. And they captured the attention of New England.

Is 2012 going to be the reverse of that? This team is so shamefully bad that they're in danger of becoming irrelevant. The Patriots are now undisputed kings of this town. The Celtics are much more likable and entertaining to watch. If Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs were smart, he'd realize that this is the worst time to remove hockey from this market. In business-speak, the Red Sox are losing market-share.

There's a lack of likability on this team. As they end this sham of a season, all David Ortiz seems to care about is getting "respected" by a 2 year contract. Jacoby Ellsbury doesn't want to disclose his injury status. And the puppet GM will now have more people whispering advice/commands in his ear (Jason Varitek, Bill James).

The Sox have gone over the edge and they're falling down the proverbial cliff in this town. They need to hit the brakes and stop the descent.

They don't need to win a World Series, but contending for a Wild Card spot would be nice. They don't need to be loaded with stars, but likable players would go a long way.

Otherwise, they will be as loved and relevant as they were in 1966. When they averaged 10,014 fans in attendance per game. That could threaten the vaunted, alleged Sellout Streak.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Red Sox Lose Last Fenway Game

Maybe Liverpool FC should schedule some games at Fenway Park in October. Or perhaps Boston College could play a football game there. Otherwise, Fenway will be dormant in October, once again.

Jon Lester lost his 14th game of the year last night. He wasn't awful, but once again he simply wasn't very good. 6 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs. To be honest I didn't watch most of the game. I got to the bar and all the TVs were on baseball, but not on NESN. The Phillies/Nationals game was on two TVs, on two stations (ESPN2 and MLB Network). I had to request the Sox game be put on. That's the state of baseball in Boston.

Anyway, Lester wasn't very good and a JV lineup only managed 2 runs of support. There goes Bobby Valentine's plans to get Lester to .500.

No more games at Fenway and thank God. The Sox were 34-47 at home this season, which is utterly shameful.

Bobby Valentine actually thinks he'll be back next year:

"My gut feeling is they haven't talked to me yet. There hasn't been any dialogue. We've talked, but not about that. Which makes me think I'm coming back. I don't know."

Yeah, if he's coming back, I won't be. I'll just ignore baseball for an entire season, follow cricket or something, and return once this joke has reached its punchline.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Bobby Valentine Hearts Jon Lester

The Red Sox lost yet another series, dropping 2 of 3 to the Orioles. What irks me is Friday night' 4-2 loss. Not for the loss itself. I mean, who cares at this point? It's because Bobby Valentine seems devastated that poor Jon Lester wouldn't get win #10.

When being interviewed/psychoanalyzed by WEEI, Bobby V defended his pinch hitting of Julio Iglesias mid-at-bat because he was dead-set on helping Jon Lester get a win, and hopefully finish .500, and therefore have more confidence for 2013.

I'm sorry, but if Lester's confidence depends on him having a .500+ record, then he's not worth a jersey.

The problem isn't Lester, though, it's Valentine. Bobby V will run this team in twisted, perverted ways until he is dismissed. He'll try his damnedest to get Jon Lester a few wins, but if Jon Lester wants to, he can be a man, admit he's had a shitty year, and try to make 2013 better. To me, that builds more confidence then ending the year 12-12 with an ERA hovering near 5.00.

Bobby Valentine doesn't understand this. Because Bobby V has never experienced actual confidence before, only a facade of ego and an array of apparent self-satisfaction that made him seem confident.

The season is almost over though, and hopefully the reign of Bobby Valentine is just as close to ending.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Fire Bobby Valentine Now

If Bobby Valentine is the manager of the 2013 Red Sox, I think we'll all be stunned. For a few weeks, I didn't mind that he was sticking around. What's the difference between that and a bench coach serving as interim manager?

But Bobby Valentine is doing harm to this team. His pinch-hitting of Jose Iglesias is my Exhibit A. He pinch hits for a young AAA guy with a 2-2 count because there's a man who just stole second. And in the process, he jeopardizes a prospect's confidence, doesn't do much to win the game, and magnifies his own ego issues.

The reason the Mets dropped Valentine is that he tries too hard to impact the game. He can't just sit back, do his job, and manage. He tries to do more than that. He tries to have an effect on every single aspect of the game, the team, the organization.

He tried to provoke responses with statements to media (See: remarks about Kevin Youkilis). He tries to get youngsters motivated by putting them down (See: remarks to Will Middlebrooks). He tries to boost pitchers' self-esteem by leaving them in games. He's always trying, always failing, always reaching beyond his job description. He's not a psychologist, not a self-esteem guru, he's a friggin' baseball manager.

Bobby Valentine feels like it's his responsibility to do everything. He feels like the role of manager is the most important job on a baseball club.

It isn't.

Managers are supposed to manage. They're supposed to move players in and out of games. They're supposed to manage egos and expectations. They balance, they don't control. They're supposed to let pitchers pitch, hitters hit, and fielders field. They're not supposed to take players out of 2-2 at-bats.

Valentine is a shitty manager. There's no other way to phrase it. Every day he manages this team, he does harm to it. He infects it with his egomania, which is a mask for his lack of self-esteem.

Bobby Valentine is a psychological mess. He has Oedipal issues with his father. He's what I call an Insertive Personality, in that he feels the need to insert himself in any situation. He can't just sit back and let others do their job and succeed without his own influence. He pushes, far too much.

Most of all, Bobby Valentine is scared. He was scared of Pedroia back in April, he's scared of failure, he's scared of disappointing his father, he's scared of looking in the mirror and seeing Bobby Valentine.

Fire him and send him to a shrink.

Did You Not Realize Bobby Valentine is a Horrible Manager?

If you heard Bobby Valentine on WEEI's Big Show yesterday (listen here) you heard a man whose mental threads are becoming unwound. He's falling apart. He sounds like a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

I'm not surprised. I thought hiring Bobby Valentine was a bad decision, and I think every day he isn't fired is another bad decision. He's a psychological mess, and a complete joke of a manager.

How could the Red Sox not realize how stupid it was to insert a loudmouthed, divisive, cocky, harebrained manager in a clubhouse that was already in a state of chaos? It was like releasing a lion into a den of wolves then giving them all bath salts. The resulting carnage was inevitable. And foreseeable. Yet the Sox, as well as a good number of their fans, didn't see it coming.

Some thought Valentine would bring discipline to the disorder in the Sox clubhouse. What was that notion based on? He didn't have a disciplinarian's reputation with the Mets. He'd call a few players out through the media, but that was his massive ego at work, not his authority being exercised.

And being a manager in Japan doesn't require a drill sergeant type of manager. The players there are disciplined already. Keeping a Japanese clubhouse in order is like being a janitor at an OCD convention. The job is already done.

Why did the Red Sox, one of the premier franchises in the 21st century, stoop so low as to hire a manager that no MLB team wanted for 9 years? How did the team, and some of the fans, convince themselves that this guy was a Major League caliber manager? He helped create a cluster-fuck in New York, then no team wanted him for nearly a decade, and that didn't raise any red flags for the Sox?

Once again, the Red Sox Front Office thought they were smarter than everyone else.

Compounding the problem was the fact that the GM wanted somebody else to manage, but was overruled by the real power broker on Yawkey Way: Larry Lucchino. Then Bobby V tried to motivate Kevin Youkilis by calling him out in the press. One bark from Dustin Pedroia and Valentine tucked tail and ran. Lucchino and Red Sox ownership did nothing to back their man. They stayed out of the way, just like Valentine stayed out of the way when Pedroia and Alfredo Aceves were nose-to-nose this past weekend.

The ownership did nothing to support the bad manager that they hired despite the GM wanting someone else. That is a perfect demonstration of how dysfunctional things are with this team.

It's not fair to dump all the blame for this season on Valentine's shoulders. Had Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz done their jobs then Valentine would still be secure in his.

At the same time, Bobby V's season has been one bungle after another. He tries these zany, non-traditional motivational techniques. He called out Youkilis. He made that sarcastic remark to Will Middlebrooks. He leaves pitchers in games to build their confidence. He kept Aaron Cook in a game with his leg sliced open, probably in an attempt to encourage his players.

These things are too far out, too crazy. They don't motivate, they alienate.

It's not Valentine's fault that the ownership gave the players an audience when they whined about minor issues. But part of being a manager is to be respected and the players don't respect him. And neither do I. His cocky swagger masks an encyclopedia of psychological issues. Which wouldn't be a problem in and of itself except that his issues affect how he manages. And he's just not a good manager.

He deflects and redirects criticism instead of ignoring/absorbing it like Terry Francona did. He tries to use the media as a motivational tool instead of treating them as outsiders. He's inconsistent with how he treats players. He irritates and divides the clubhouse.

And ultimately, he can't get out of his own way.

Aceves No Save Us

Since they cleaned house, I actually enjoy watching Red Sox games again. The overall talent on the team has decreased, but the effort level has increased. I'd rather watch a Cody Ross or Ryan Lavarnway try and fail than watch a Josh Beckett or Adrian Gonzalez cruise and succeed.

One thing still irritates me about this team. And that's the Manager. Bobby Valentine's in-game decisions seem to be influenced more by psychology than by scouting reports and pitcher/batter matchups.

And Dr. Valentine's psychological prescriptions don't always make sense. He suspends Aceves because Aceves gets pissed that he's not the Closer. Then he gives Aceves a chance to close? So punish with one hand, then reward with another?

I know Andrew Bailey pitched a lot over the weekend, so I understand Aceves getting the chance to close.

But Aceves didn't have it in the 9th. And Valentine allowed him to face Torii Hunter with runners on the corners and 1 out. Hunter was 3 for 7 lifetime off Aceves before last night. 1 for 7 against Bailey. The game was on the line and Valentine went with the worst matchup. Was Bobby even aware those were the numbers? This is a guy who didn't realize an opposing starter was right-handed.

Hunter hit a sac-fly to center, the Angels won, and Aceves earned his 9th loss of the season.

Aybar wasn't actually hit by that pitch, so the ump failed at his job. But Aceves did plenty to fail on his own.

One area the Sox need to address in the off-season is their bullpen. Along with their Manager and how/why he uses it the way he does.

Zach Stewart makes his Red Sox debut tonight. He faces CJ Wilson. So God only knows what will happen in this game.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

Red Sox Mouthpieces Try to Dismiss Meeting

I was listening to WEEI's broadcast of the game last night. Dave O'Brien and Joe Castiglione couldn't figure out why the July 26th meeting of players and Ownership was a big story. The two repeated the "nothing to see here" statements John Henry and Dustin Pedroia gave about the meeting: that such meetings are held throughout the season, and that nobody was lobbying for Valentine to be fired. O'Brien then remarked that "several facts" from Jeff Passan's article were "in dispute."

I switched to NESN. The Red Sox own most of NESN, by the way. Don Orsillo and Jerry Remy expressed a similarly dismissive attitudes toward the story. "I'm past it" Remy remarked. Neither felt that the story was noteworthy. And both agreed that the Red Sox' problems are all on the field, and that the buzz around this meeting was just noise about nothing.

These are the voices of the Red Sox Propaganda Machine. These are the dupes, the suckers, the inner circle of Boston Sports Media that is under the influence of John Henry and Larry Lucchino. These are the yes-men, the suck-ups, the naive, the blind, the fools.

Listening to them, I was reminded of Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Said al-Sahhaf, a.k.a. Baghdad Bob.

Team meetings do happen. And these kinds of meetings between Ownership and players don't seem to be a new thing for the Sox. But here is why this most recent meeting is a significant story:

1. What caused the meeting to be held
A text message from Adrian Gonzalez complaining about Bobby Valentine leaving Jon Lester in a game too long. That's apparently what provoked this meeting. Why are players texting Owners about gameday decisions at all? And why are Owners responding to them by giving them a forum to bitch and moan?

I wonder what that text looked like:

"OMFG we h8 BobbyV. He left J-les in the game 2 long. He needz 2 go. Yolo."

2. The divisive nature of the meetings
The Owners met with players, then met with coaches, then met with Valentine. All separate meetings. Why? Player-only meetings are commonplace, but don't typically involve Owners. And why isolate Valentine so much that even his assistant coaches have a different meeting?

How does dividing the team foster unity? And how does letting players go over their manager (and General Manager, let's not forget that the relative lack of Cherington in this story is interesting in and of itself), support the leadership hierarchy of the organization? The players ignored the chain-of-command, went over Valentine's head, to the side of Cherington's, and right into Larry Lucchino's text message inbox.

3. The leaks about the meeting
If this truly were a normal meeting, then why did Passan get leaked information about it? Why did he get multiple sources telling him about problems in the clubhouse and a tense meeting in which players ripped Bobby Valentine?

Maybe Passan was given faulty information. But that'd be a story too. If players and coaches are feeding lies to the media, then that implies the same thing that the original story about the meeting implies:

That something stinks with this team.

That's the story here. Something is rotten and it's stinks to high heaven.

Sox Have More Woes with O's

I'll never forget that it was in Baltimore that the 2011 Red Sox ended their season. And even though it's mid-August, the Sox seem to be trying to end their 2012 campaign in Charm City as well. This season the Sox are now 3-8 against the O's, who seem to have hired the right ESPN analyst to manage their team.

Aaron Cook had a weird start. He cruised at the outset, retiring the first 9 Orioles he faced, not allowing a hit until the 6th. But it was in the 6th that it all unraveled. He was inducing groundballs in the first 5 innings, then the Orioles figured out how to get under the ball and lift it into the air.

The Red Sox lineup threatened, but never struck a knockout blow. Even the 2 runs in the 5th could have been more with the heart of the order up and runners on.

Then Adrian "text message" Gonzalez got ejected in the 8th. He seemed to be upset that Oriole reliever Pedro Strop pitched to him very quickly after Gonzalez had just stepped into the box. Gonzalez appeared to say "I wasn't ready," and home-plat umpire Mike Everitt effectively said "That's not my problem."

Moments later, Gonzalez continued to argue from the dugout and Everitt tossed him. Bobby Valentine then came out to argue, and was soon ejected.

I wonder how many texts John Henry and Larry Lucchino got from Gonzalez, begging them to hold a meeting with the umpiring crew.

It's a team of whiners. They're spoiled children that throw temper tantrums.

And now they're 7 behind the Rays and 8 behind the Orioles in the loss column. They're in danger of being ejected from the Wild Card race.

Clay Buchholz pitches tonight against Chris Tillman. The tall 24 year old righty has been solid most of the season, with a few ugly starts mixed in. However, the Sox have a good history against him. Carl Crawford is 7 for 14 off Tillman, with a double and 2 triples. Hopefully Buchholz pitches well, the Sox get 4+ runs off Tillman, and they can salvage a win.

Photo Credit:
Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Mutiny on the Red Sox

You've probably already read or at least heard a summary of Jeff Passan's article about Red Sox players being upset at Bobby Valentine, complaining to Ownership, and a meeting being held in a New York hotel. Here's the sequence of key events:

July 22nd: Jon Lester is left in a game against the Blue Jays, despite struggling mightily. He allowed 9 runs in the first 2 innings but remained in the game, pitching into the 5th. He allowed 11 runs total.

Adrian Gonzalez, on behalf of himself and others, texted Red Sox Ownership (John Henry and Larry Lucchino). They complained that Valentine embarrassed Lester by leaving him in the game too long.

July 26th: In New York's Palace Hotel (on an off day before a series with the Yankees), the owners call a meeting of players. The players expressed their grievances. Some did not want to play for Bobby Valentine. Others felt that Valentine had become a scapegoat. Some players did not attend the meeting.

Since this meeting, the Red Sox Front Office and Ownership have all publicly declared that they "stand behind" Bobby Valentine. The Red Sox are 8-10 since the meeting.

I hate everyone involved in this story. I hate Bobby Valentine for being an egomaniacal jerk. I hate the players for whining and moaning. I hate the owners for catering to the players whining and moaning. Everyone stinks.

Lots of people are defending Bobby Valentine, or at least not blaming him for these problems. But he is partially responsible. He's a polarizing guy. He's talkative. He doesn't have a censor. He rubs some people the wrong way. None of this is new. This is who he has always been.

Adding Valentine to the Sox clubhouse was like adding hot sauce to a dish in an effort to make it less spicy. It doesn't make sense. He and his relentless personality only complicates the problem.

The owners have declared their support for Valentine through public statements. It's just words, though. Empty words. If Ownership supported Valentine, they wouldn't give the players an audience for their complaints.

Anyone watch The Office? Remember when Dwight goes to Jan (his boss's boss) in an attempt to oust Michael (his boss). What does Jan do? She tells Michael, and lets Michael handle the discontent. That's what the Sox Owners should have let Valentine do. Instead, the Owners meddled, and didn't let Valentine do his job.

You can't stand behind someone, then step in front of them and interfere in their job. Either let Valentine manage or fire him.

The players on this team should be ashamed of themselves. I was indifferent toward Adrian Gonzalez before today. Now he seems like he's a leader of complaints.

Part of Passan's piece mentioned a cell phone picture circulating among Sox players. Dustin Pedroia is smiling and giving a thumbs up. In the background lies a sleeping Bobby Valentine (or at least a facedown person that is allegedly Bobby Valentine). The caption reads "Our manager contemplating his lineup at 3:30 p.m."

Dustin Pedroia needs to move on and realize that Francona is gone. I know Valentine is a joke, but he's still the manager.

Then again, Pedroia challenged Valentine on Kevin Youkilis at the start of the season. And Valentine backed down. How can you respect Valentine after that?

Bobby V is a bad manager. That's why no MLB team gave him a job since 2002. He tries too hard to do too much. He tries to be a psychologist and keep pitchers in games so they build confidence. He thought he was a physician when he concocted a rehab plan for Crawford that involved playing a maximum 4 games in a row at a time. He thinks he's an inventor, a preacher, a motivational speaker, a philosopher, a dietitian, and a publicist.

At the same time, the Ownership aren't letting Bobby Valentine do his job. The heirchy of power in a baseball organization should be simple:

Manager: decides who on the roster plays and when they play
GM: decides who is on the roster (draft, trades, signings, releases, promotions)
Front Office: authorizes funds for payroll, decides general direction of the team, interacts with other parts of organization (promotions, ticket sales, customer service, et cetera)

With the Red Sox, everything is confused:

Manager: decides who plays
GM: usually decides who is on the roster
Front Office: fields complaints from players, decides how much GM spends (not just how much they're allowed to spend), dictates how manager and GM should act, manipulates the media to give a favorable impression of the team, tells ticket office to lie about number of tickets sold

Larry Lucchino needs to stay in his office. Part of being a boss is delegating. When you delegate responsibility, you can't do it halfway and only give someone partial responsibility. When you appoint a GM, you have to let the GM do his job. Otherwise dysfunction follows.

Then we get to the players. They're whiny, spoiled, disgruntled, and they don't seem to care much about winning.

A baseball team doesn't have to be 25 best buddies. But the prime goal of all 25 players should be the same: win.

Pedroia's prime goal is to get Valentine fired. Gonzalez's is to make sure Jon Lester's feelings aren't hurt. Beckett's is to drink. Lackey's is to drink more than Beckett. Ortiz's is to get a big contract for 2013. Matsuzaka's was to win the World Baseball Classic. Ellsbury's goal is probably to get out of here.

What's the solution:
Limit Lucchino to desk activity. Fire Valentine and hire a low-key, no-nonsense manager who'll do no more than fill out a lineup card and decide when to take pitchers out of a game. Release Beckett. Release Lackey. Don't re-sign Ortiz for anything more than $8 million. Trade at least 1/3 of the remaining babies. Give younger players a chance to make this team.

Everyone is at fault here. Everyone sucks. They need to either be removed, or have their roles significantly adjusted. And if you pay money to see this team play, you're a sap.

Photo Credit:
AP Photo

David Ortiz Sums Up the Red Sox Attitude Problems

Talking about the progress of his Achilles injury, David Ortiz had this to say:

"If you go back and play sore, of course (it could tear) because it's not just healing, it's not ready. And I don't want to run that risk either. I'm a free agent after this year, and I don't want to have to go into surgery as a free agent. So it's, 'Let it heal and play when you're ready.'"

David Ortiz is more concerned with his free agency than with winning in 2012. Josh Beckett is counting his days off. Bobby Valentine is announcing beer bans that don't really exist. John Lackey is following this team around leaving a trail of Bud Light cans strewn behind him. Dustin Pedroia still acts Terry Francona is the manager.

Everyone on this team, except for some of the young guys, and some of the role players, is not likable. Some are downright despicable.

David Ortiz talking about his injury and how he doesn't want to hurt his 2013 free agency? I'm all for playing when you feel ready to play, but citing contract status as a reason to not play? Would he risk injury if the Sox extended his deal? If so, then he's just a selfish d-bag.

Winning simply is not the #1 goal for many people on this team. That's the problem. It's not bad chemistry, or lack of discipline, or poor character. Almost everyone on this team has individualistic goals, and very few on this team consider winning to be the top priority.