Roche: Bobby V A Good Move, For Now
BOSTON (CBS) - He has a 15-year managerial record of 1117-1072 in Major League Baseball. He has managed in Japan where he is beloved. He's been an analyst for ESPN.
And now he is about to become the manager of the Boston Red Sox.
Good move? Yes.
For now.
ESPNBoston.com's and our Sports Final Sox analyst on WBZ-TV 4 Gordon Edes has a good story Wednesday on Bobby Valentine.
He will come in here as an old school type of manager, which I think is what many fans thinks this team needs.
I'm sure Jon Lester, Josh Beckett, and others will take notice of the man now in charge.
Good.
I said months ago what this team needs to be reminded of is that it is a privilege to play Major League Baseball, not a right.
A guy like Valentine will make sure they know that.
He's also a brilliant baseball mind. He knows the game and its strategy. He knows the big deal that Boston is. He seems to be a guy that can handle the pressure.
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He also might be the right guy to come in right after Terry Francona.
Back in 2004, Tito was the right guy to replace Grady Little because he embraced the statistical input the front office and scouts gave him on a daily basis. Grady did not.
Now Valentine comes in with a little bit more discipline than Francona, but also with the same expectations.
Win a World Series.
And by the way, new GM Ben Cherington may have presented John Henry, Tom Werner, and Larry Lucchino with Dale Sveum and Gene Lamont as his choices for manager.
Ben was with the team and in the clubhouse on a daily basis at home and many times on the road.
He feels that the clubhouse wasn't as bad as it has been portrayed.
I'm sure he thought Sveum was a modern type of manager that would use all resources.
As for Lamont, I think Ben was probably impressed by his game strategy, plus the fact that he's been in the game as Jim Leyland's right-hand man in Detroit.
Listen: Shaughnessy and Heyman Battle About Valentine
But you know what?
The Big Three didn't agree with Ben.
And, I'm OK with that.
I laugh at all these people who were praising Theo and the Big Three for working together on big decisions. Good debate, etc. And now, those same people are saying that Larry is stepping all over Ben.
Maybe this time Larry won the debate.
Maybe John sided with Larry after talking it through.
We all know that John sided with Theo on Carl Crawford, even though he didn't want to sign him.
To say that Ben has been trumped already is laughable.
The bottom line is that the Sox finally have a manager.
Now they need to go out and fix the roster. They need more pitching and some right-handed pop. Time for baseball decisions.
Will Bobby V work out?
Who knows, but it's worth a shot.
And if it doesn't work out? You say good-bye and go get someone else.
In the meantime, enjoy the ride.
Read: Dan Roche's Sports Blog
Follow WBZ-TV's Dan Roche on Twitter @RochieWBZ
