A few items of note out of Beantown …
- Some have presumed that Red Sox GM Ben Cherington wanted to hire Dale Sveum as manager — and that ownership quashed it — but a source tells Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald that Cherington has relative autonomy: “I don’t think he would’ve taken the job if that would be an issue,” the source said.
- As rumored earlier on Sunday, the Red Sox will interview Bobby Valentine for the managerial vacancy on Monday, according to Ian Browne of MLB.com. Valentine hasn't managed since 2002 but is the most experienced among the remaining candidates: Torey Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Gene Lamont.
- Lamont, however, may be the best fit for the job, writes John Tomase of the Boston Herald, as he represents a compromise between ownership, which seems to prefer a candidate with experience, and Cherington, who apparently seeks someone who will be willing to work closely with the player development department.
For the love of all of Michigan, HIRE LAMONT and get him out of here!
Why not Alomar as manager with Lamont as bench coach? I wonder if Lamont would take it for more money than he earns with the Tigers. He has been seemingly a Leyland loyalist but maybe an expanded role with the Red Sox might appeal to him. I’m not sure what the sentiment is here, I just don’t have a great feeling about Valentine as manager. I think he’s way over hyped for a guy who hasn’t really won much in MLB. The others have less experience true but at least they have been involved in MLB in some form a lot more recently than Valentine has. 10 years between MLB jobs is a long time.
Come on Scott. Stop being a rube. Henry and Lucchino want a big name and they said we want to interview more people not hire who Cherington wants.
Lucchino actually came out and said that the search was almost certainly NOT over after Cherington had said it most likely was.
The interference by Henry and Lucchino is the entire reason that Epstein is not still there. Its what undermined Francona’s authority in the clubhouse. Its the reason the team lost and why they will not make it back to the WS any time soon.
If we were brought up to believe, and I believe I was, that the Three Stooges were inept meddlers, funny to some, but inept to all, then the three major owners, Henry, Lucchino, and Werner, certainly fill the modern day version of that. If they would leave Cherington alone, he will solve the problems besetting the Red Sox for 2012.
Valentine has managed since 2002, he was managing in Japan through 2009. (and won over there, too)
It is obvious they want Bobby V or they would not be bringing him in this late and he would not be subjecting himself to this much publicity and then be denied.
When they mentioned Lamont in the article, were they referring to Lamont Sanford from Sanford and Son?
When they mentioned Lamont in the article, were they referring to Lamont Sanford from Sanford and Son?
Everytime Lamont sends someone home I held my breath. Take him please !!!
PLEASE TAKE GENE LAMONT!! For the sake of Tiger fans everywhere
PLEASE TAKE GENE LAMONT!! For the sake of Tiger fans everywhere
Who else, among Red Sox fans that is.. Thinks that Walpo Joe would be a better choice than Gene Lamont?
As a native Walpoler, YES. I am also a bit nervous about this whole Bobby V chapter as well. Clown Shoes all around
Walpo Joe is a wonderful guy. Straight shooter, both on the field as well as off.
I knew him well when he was manager of the old Bristol red Sox for years and Rac Slider also. Looked forward to him and Rac coming to spring training to see him every season to see them and have long talks about baseball and other matters with him and lemme’ tell you if you never met him.. That man held nothing back.. He would tell you like it is.. I would stand behind the cage with him many a time while some hitter he would try to teach.. Otis Foster for one and he would holler, scream and everything else to try and get them to change horrible things in their swing, even bat when they would have problems. Then would turn his head and continue a conversation we were having as if nothing was going on.
He had the knack of doing multiple things like that and a keen baseball mind IMO and did not deserve getting fired whenthe FO thought Hobson should be given a chance.
Morgan had the guts to tell Jim Rice was finished, stand up to him during a critical game and pinch hit for him with Spike Owen to lay down a bunt on one occasion, then he and Rice got into a shouting match during the game with Morgan hollering “I am the manager!” at him on television that was clearly seen and pointing at him. Nobody else that team ever had, certainly not Johnny Mac, nor Hobson who took over would have had the guts to sit down an icon like that. Francona couldn’t even sit down JD Drew when he was struggling to hit his weight in September.
Nope.. This team needs a Walpo Joe, Rac Slider, old school type who knows how to lay down the law and I knew both of those gentlemen very, very well for decades and feel that just maybe.. Bobby V has that style. I might be wrong in that assessment, but unless this team can get one of those 2 Sox old schoolers back who managed in the Sox minor league system for nearly 30 years, this team will have problems.
Henry and Co. deserve credit for making the red Sox into a finacial powerhouse. But they really need to step back and let the people they hired do their jobs. They are too hands on for an ownership group. I don’t blame Theo for leaving. Although I can see why the Cubs was an interesting destination. If he manages to bring a WS to the Cubs, he’s a lock for the HOF.
All in all, the choice of potential managers presented thus far, strongly suggests that the front office should have given Tito Francona a “trip to the woodshed”, coupled with stern warning about a repetition of 2011 in 2012 and beyond, along with a conditional extension to the deal he had in place before the September tailspin began. If the best of the rest are Bobby V. and Gene Lamont…. the Red Sox are in big trouble.
The Boston media has no idea what they are talking about, which really isn’t the statement of the year. It’s fairly evident who is running the show up there and what their intentions are. Sadly for Red Sox fans, this may get much worse before it gets better. This is a team that is two weeks away from winter meeting and don’t have a manager or pitching coach and have already lost their closer, which at the price was understandable, but…
I like Bobby V, not sure why, but he will only add to the circus like atmosphere up there and based on previous articles, even comments from Red Sox fans on here, its a $$ media thing and only a media thing for ownership to hire Valentine. Isn’t the Red Sox motto “dirtdogs?” Aren’t they supposed to be the ones who all have dirty jerseys at the end of the game? I now fully understand what the Red Sox front office goals are and you cannot replicate the Yankees, who are a class of their own. Not good if I may say. Seems like the Red Sox are having identity problems if anything..
Uhh, what? Do you really just take any excuse to write something negative about the Red Sox?
Two weeks from the winter meetings and no manager/pitching coach? More than one source has stated that they wanted to have an offer out for a manager before Thanksgiving, which hasn’t even passed yet. They lost their closer for an absolutely gaudy price and will be the ONLY team to get Type A compensation for their reliever; how is that a problem? Nobody in the front office is panicking, and fans have no reason to be either.
It’s a good thing you missed the point I was trying to make and no to answer your question about taking any excuse to write something negative about the Red Sox. It’s a bit more sad that you can’t take from my comment and agree with anything that has already been stated by several people in baseball and Boston, about who is running the show up there. I didn’t insinuate that anyone is panicking, in fact, my comment was stating just the opposite. I even tried to present a positive remark about the Red Sox character of being that gritty and that type of hard nosed team, which they should go back to being, but you apparently chose to read over that line. Yeah they receive compensation for losing Papelbon and that should pay off sometime in 2016 or 2017. I’m talking about now. Bobby V is a place holder, something for the media. The baseball skill is there, but does anyone think that Valentin will be the Red Sox manager for the next 6-10 years? Probably not. No one knows what the future holds, but this could be a precursor to a revolving door of managers in years to come and I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Francona wasn’t hired until like December 3rd, everyone needs to relax. The sky isn’t falling.
That’s right. Wait until Valentine’s hired. THEN we can start panicking.
lol
“The Boston media has no idea what they are talking about, which really isn’t the statement of the year”
Will agree with you there. Also the NYT.. The parent company. NE media is rubbish, through and through as is the NYT. When they can all the writers, bring in some who write on facts, rather than speculation then possibly they will be worth reading and I mean a lot more than just the sports writers.
Boston herald and NY Post are just a small step above as Sherman (Post) is not much better.
Whatever happened to responsible journalism Century?
It’s really hard to find unbiased reporting these days. The Boston media (BG especially) gets its kicks, from well, kicking the Sox when they are down. They are very hot and cold and I think a lot of the fan reaction (something that’s bugged me for a while) is constantly up and down. Sadly for me, my encounters have generally been with the “pink hat” types and I rarely get to enjoy a conversation with a true Red Sox aficionado. For a while it was very entertaining to me, but now when I go to the globe their approach in writing is redundant and the fan reaction is no longer all that amusing. I can’t even say the ESPN guys are all that good either. Olney is pretty solid, but even at times he gets ahead of himself. Good sports writing is a rare breed these days. Although it’s not exactly sports writing per se, MLBTR does a very good job at presenting relevant information. It would been refreshing to read something from a sports writer that is predicated on sports content, versus grabbing a headline and no substance. Maybe MLBTR can expand on their business model in the future and employe two or three dedicated writers that cover the sport, presenting their opinions (I suppose they already do this, but expand more with their journalism). They’ve already established the platform and frankly, could open themselves to a large market, a national market versus the localized writers we’re so used to seeing. Believe it or not, someone that has a law background, would perhaps work.
As for the general media presence, I devour the NY Times every day (online) and while there are many informative articles, much of the opinion section promotes fear mongering. I’ve actually had to discipline myself recently as to what sites I visit. Fortunately, for the Red Sox fans on here, I’ve devoted this site as being as only one of a few I view anymore
When you hire a GM he is supposed to pick the manager. Cherrington is starting to look like a puppet.