Bobby Valentine agrees ro deal to become Red Sox Manager

[MatParker116]

Sports Illustrated:

The Boston Red Sox and Bobby Valentine have reached a verbal agreement which would make Valentine the next manager of the team, according to WCVB TV’s Mike Lynch. ESPN has also reported that the deal is done.

Valentine and the Red Sox have been in discussions over the last few weeks, and it was previously reported that he had become the front-runner for the position. Earlier Tuesday, it was rumored that Gene Lamont was out of the running. The Red Sox denied that report.

Valentine, who managed both the New York Mets and Texas Rangers, was most recently an analyst for ESPN. He is currently in Japan but will be returning around midnight Wednesday.

[VA Sox Fan]

Really? Wow.

[wyo-sox]

I like it. Now they should be free to get a good pitching coach and another good pitcher or two. Let's move on.

[SCM33]

Who friggin cares.........this took way too long, we already knew this was coming. BIG FUCKING SHOCKER!!!!

Lets start to take of the things that actually matter now.

PS. This move shows us that Ben Cherington is a puppet and pretty much worthless.

[User Name?]

Yet according the reports, this took so much time because there was a fracture between who Ben wanted, and ownership wanted. He has enough power to drag on a negotiation like this for such a long time.

[SCM33]

Yet according the reports, this took so much time because there was a fracture between who Ben wanted, and ownership wanted. He has enough power to drag on a negotiation like this for such a long time.

Hes a puppet.

If he had any pull, he would have hired the guy he wanted (SINCE HE IS THE GM).....simple as that.

[User Name?]

That's not how it works. It's not a black/white situation, and there was a middle ground they had to find.

If he didn't have any pull, they would have hired Valentine right away. Simple as that.

He's a rookie GM, not as much leverage as Epstein, but he's not a complete puppet either.

[Elktonnick]

Yet according the reports, this took so much time because there was a fracture between who Ben wanted, and ownership wanted. He has enough power to drag on a negotiation like this for such a long time.

Actually it doesn't. According to Felger and Mazz and numerous others who well reported this several days ago, the delay was a cover story by Lucchino to restore and rehabilitate Cherington's image after they effectively castrated him by vetoing his selection of Sveum. It was specificly designed to give the appearance of his having more influence then he does. Most of those experienced baseball analysts saw through this ploy days. ago. Hence their collective frustration over the delay as foolish and only demostrating how dysfunctional the FO really is.

[SCM33]

That's not how it works. It's not a black/white situation, and there was a middle ground they had to find.

If he didn't have any pull, they would have hired Valentine right away. Simple as that.

He's a rookie GM, not as much leverage as Epstein, but he's not a complete puppet either.

It was black and white though. There was no middle ground. LL wanted Valentine. LL played nice and let little Benny boy run around and think he was a real big league ballclub GM. In the end, LL got Valentine, and the whole thing was pretty embarrassing for little Benny, who in the end....had ZERO voice in the matter. The only reason it dragged was so that BC didnt look worse than he does now.

For all we know Valentine knew all along and he had to play along so that BC feelings werent hurt.

Come on User, this was embarrassing for BC......he had nothing to do with the hiring, he wanted nothing to do with the hiring....and in the end what he wanted didnt fucking matter.

LL runs this team.

[Elktonnick]

That's not how it works. It's not a black/white situation, and there was a middle ground they had to find.

If he didn't have any pull, they would have hired Valentine right away. Simple as that.

He's a rookie GM, not as much leverage as Epstein, but he's not a complete puppet either.

No he is the organ grinder's monkey.

[pumpsie green]

That's not how it works. It's not a black/white situation, and there was a middle ground they had to find.

If he didn't have any pull, they would have hired Valentine right away. Simple as that.

He's a rookie GM, not as much leverage as Epstein, but he's not a complete puppet either.

If the media reports are correct, Lucchino got his man and Cherington did not. I suspect that Cherington reluctantly agreed to this move. Don't forget that he was trained by Epstein and watched Epstein manipulate Francona like a marionette for years. If he didn't like the way things were done here he would have moved on. My guess is that Bobby V and BC are going to lock horns and the Cherington will be a short term GM with Valentine following him out the door shortly thereafter. By then the house will be clean and we will be relevant again.

[User Name?]

Actually it doesn't. According to Felger and Mazz and numerous others who well reported this several days ago, the delay was a cover story by Lucchino to restore and rehabilitate Cherington's image after they effectively castrated him by vetoing his selection of Sveum. It was specificly designed to give the appearance of his having more influence then he does. Most of those experienced baseball analysts saw through this ploy days. ago. Hence their collective frustration over the delay as foolish and only demostrating how dysfunctional the FO really is.

The writers are torn on this. I remember posting a couple stories about a week back about how Cherington's input was very important in this decision, and that was partly why the process had dragged on for so long.

On the Sveum front, he could be our manager today had the Cubs not pounced.

Again, he doesn't have as much leverage as Epstein, but he definitely has some power.

[redsoxrules]

Hes a puppet.

If he had any pull, he would have hired the guy he wanted (SINCE HE IS THE GM).....simple as that.

Yup, its the same when Theo was there, Theo never had full control of the team .

[alphilip77]

And so...it begins....

[iortiz]

I had my doubts about Cherington's role in this organization. After this move, it confirms me that he is a puppet.

There is no other way to see it. Maybe with time his role could change, but now, LL is the chief in command. ( I guess he has always been)