McAdam On Gresh & Zo: Cherington On Board With Valentine
BOSTON (CBS) – The Red Sox are back out looking for a new manager after it appeared Dale Sveum was the favorite to land the job.
But a lot of questions began to circle as Sveum was not offered the position after his second interview with the team on Wednesday, and instead took the job in Chicago.
Was new general manager Ben Cherington's preference of Sveum overturned by the Sox ownership? Is the new GM already getting his foot stepped on and backs turned on him?
98.5 The Sport Hub's Red Sox insider Sean McAdam says that is not the case.
"To be clear, that did not happen. I was told they were not ready to make an offer to Dale or anyone else the last couple of days," McAdam told the Hub's Gresh and Zolak Friday morning.
"One of the disturbing things is there seems to be no sense of urgency to get a manager hired. I understand they want to take their time and make the right decision, but they're going at it at a snail's pace," McAdam said of the Sox approach.
That brings us to the state of the search now. The snail's pace has brought us to Bobby Valentine, who has already talked with the Red Sox about their open spot on the bench.
But again, was this another move by the Red Sox ownership, instead of Cherington? Is Valentine the old school type of manager with experience the higher-ups want, and not their new young leader?
McAdam, again, says that in untrue.
"I was told last night that, even though John Henry has been an admirer of him for a while, that Ben Cherington was on board considering him and in fact was at the interview that was conducted," said McAdam.
"The one meeting he has had, or the first meeting with Red Sox personnel, involved Lucchino and Ben Cherington. I think there was a perception out there that this was an end-around by ownership to stuff their choice down Cherington's throat against his will. I was told by an industry source last night that was untrue."
Read: Sox Talk To Valentine
So it sounds like all is well in Red Sox Nation, and there is no battle for power in a new and reforming front office.
But then there is Valentine. He has been out of the majors since 2002, managing in Japan and more recently working as an analyst.
While he has a good track record, is his attitude and approach the right one for the Red Sox?
"I'm as puzzled as most people about his sudden emergence into this,"said McAdam.
"I'm not crazy about it. I think there's a potential for him to be a divisive figure. Bobby is very charismatic, he's a very bright guy. He's known as a very good in-game manager. But he's also a guy wherever he's gone, wherever he's been, there has always been a little conflict."
"He has a little bit of an edge to him," added McAdam.
"Usually you'll go in and find a clubhouse where half of which is ready to go through a wall for him, and the other half want to put him through the wall. There is not a lot of in between there, and I wonder if that personality is the right fit here for a team that just went through all it did."
Valentine would also raise questions in his more traditional approach, whereas the Red Sox brass is more into the analytics of the game.
"Although he's not ancient by any stretch, he is not thought of as a guy that will necessarily be on board with a lot of the analytics and other metrics used by the baseball ops department," said McAdam.
Boston has interviewed many different candidates, from Pete Mackanin's experience on the bench to the never-managed Sandy Alomar Jr. With a veteran like Valentine now in the mix, what exactly are the Red Sox looking for in their new manager?
Is experience going to now be a factor moving forward?
"The only guy in the original five to be dismissed out of contention is Mackanin, who at least had a two half seasons of major league managerial experience and a lot in the minor leagues. Meanwhile, a guy like Sandy Alomar, who has never managed a game at any level, remains in contention. There is a lot of inconsistency here, which I think is why a lot of people are having a hard time getting a grip on what direction they're going and what are the qualifications," said McAdam.
It looks like no one will know the qualifications until the Sox actually hire a manager.
Listen to the entire interview with Sean McAdam, as he tells us why Dale Sveum chose the Cubs and what happened with Jonathan Papelbon that made him leave town for the Phillies...
