The Boston media loves that Bobby Valentine is coming to the Red Sox because he is sure to provide good copy. As a blogger and not a member of the MSM and I certainly don’t share their joy on this day. I’m not rooting for good copy, I’m rooting for another World Series victory. If you had polled Red Sox Nation last July and asked, “Who do you want as Red Sox manager?” And if the three choices were Terry Francona, Bobby Valentine, and Gene Lamont the results would have looked something like this: Tito 95%, Bobby V 4%, Lamont 1%. There is no joy in Fenway tonight. Bobby Valentine may turn out to be a fine manager in Boston but his track record leaves much to be desired. He has never once managed a team that won a division, he has never managed a team that has won 100 games, he has never won a World Series and his career winning percentage is just over .500.
Valentine has a lot to prove in Boston; he is replacing a popular manager who brought two World Series championships to the Hub. Francona was also Curt Schilling’s choice to lead the team. Tito had the luxury of replacing Grady Little, a manager without the support of the fans. Valentine does not have that luxury. If players on the Red Sox are rooting for Bobby Valentine they sure haven’t voiced their opinions in public.
The presser from Fenway will be entertaining and Valentine will be told to say something negative about the Yankees, but it will take more than that to win over the fans. Bobby V. may be just what the Red Sox need to fix their woes but I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid yet. If the Red Sox go .600 or better in April then there will be plenty of bandwagon cars to attach to the Bobby Valentine train and I’ll happily jump on one of them.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
