The Red Sox suffered the worst collapse in baseball history last season. This statement has been uttered so many times that it has become cliché.
Contrary to popular belief, chicken and beer didn’t cause the team’s horrific end to the season. It was a lack of urgency and cohesiveness amongst the players that led to the team missing the postseason.
Terry Francona was the scapegoat for the fiasco. Ownership kicked Francona out of town in particularly ruthless fashion because he had “lost control of the clubhouse.”
Francona was known as a player’s manager who would never throw one of his guys under the bus. This made him beloved by fans and players alike, but it is also why many believe Red Sox players took advantage of the freedom he afforded them.
When Francona’s contract was not renewed this offseason, the thought was that the team would go after someone who was the polar opposite. A brash, outspoken manager with a “my way or the highway” attitude.
Unfortunately in today’s game, these guys are few and far between. Major League Baseball is now more than ever a player’s league. The amount of money they are getting paid, and the way today’s professional athletes are pampered, causes managers to coddle their players instead of controlling them.
At one point, it seemed the Red Sox were going to hire Dale Sveum, a former third base coach for the team. Svuem was reported to be the front-runner after new general manager Ben Cherington endorsed him for the position.
Reportedly, however, ownership did not latch on to Sveum like Cherington did, and felt that Bobby Valentine was the better choice.
Ownership eventually won out and Valentine was the new manager of the Boston Red Sox.
Valentine seemed to be exactly what the team needed. A brash, talkative, media personality who would say whatever was on his mind. He was thought to be the jolt of energy the team needed to get over last season’s collapse.
Early on in spring training, Valentine made his presence felt. Right away he instituted his intense approach by having the team work diligently on fundamentals, and he even had pitchers work on their bunting.
The first sign of dissension came from a comment made by former Sox pitcher Curt Schilling. He essentially said that based on talking with players on the team, he believed that Valentine’s antics would not lead to success.
Being a former member of the team, Schilling has legitimate sources within the Red Sox clubhouse, and these comments showed that there were some players that did not like Valentine’s managerial style.
The team seemed to ignore Schilling’s comments and passed them off as nothing to worry about.
The more pressing issue that is facing the team is the recent spat between Valentine and third baseman Kevin Youkilis.
In a recent interview, Valentine said that Youkilis was not as, “physically or emotionally into the game as he had been in the past.”
Youkilis denied Valentine’s statement and said he always gives his full effort.
Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, thought to be the leader of the team, backed up Youkilis. Pedroia basically told the media that maybe that’s how they do things in Japan, but that’s not how they do things in Boston.
Valentine did apologize for his statements, but the fact that an issue like this has already come up is quite troubling.
The new manager has already angered players through his candor with the media and players immediately attacked him for his comments. It seems as if he has yet to gain the respect of the clubhouse. A player versus manager attitude may be developing amongst the team and that could hinder them going forward.
Valentine should have addressed the issue with Youkilis first instead of going to the media. A manager can’t publicly call out his players this early in the season, especially in a massive media market like Boston.
Bobby Valentine is the antithesis of Terry Francona. He’s brass, outspoken and quite frankly a bit of an attention monger, but he seemed to be exactly the change of pace that the team needed. However, his early antics seem to already be wearing thin, and may result in continued dissension between the manager and his players.
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