Former New York Times columnist Murray Chass, went ballistic on Bobby Valentine on his blog where he writes about an exchange he recently had with Red Sox owner Larry Lucchino and GM Ben Cherington.
If the Red Sox decided to interview one or more other candidates, it could be a sign that they are not prepared to offer Valentine the job.
“We haven’t made a decision yet,” Cherington said. “We’re going to be working on it. We’d like to have a decision sometime in the coming week.”
I called Cherington because Larry Lucchino, the chief executive officer, told me that ownership had decided that Cherington would speak for the organization on the subject of the manager. “We’ve had too many voices speaking,” Lucchino said.
Nevertheless, I asked Lucchino what he thought about Valentine’s interview. “Bobby did a terrific job when he was here,” he said.
Then Lucchino asked me a question. “What do you think of him?” he asked.
I would rather not have people I am interviewing ask me questions. In this instance what I thought about Valentine or any other candidate shouldn’t matter. I am not the one hiring and paying the new manager.
On the other hand, Lucchino asked a reasonable question, and the primary problem I had with it was whether I should offer some vague, non-committal comment or answer honestly. Of course, I chose honesty because I expect honest answers from the people I question.
“I have found him to be the most disliked man in baseball,” I said. And I added, “He doesn’t like me and I don’t like him.”
He then goes on to rip into Bobby V and shares quotes from other players and managers about him. He says that beyond his personal defferences with Valentine, he calls him one of the worst managers in history – “he ranks third in history among managers who have managed the most games without finishing in first place.”
According to Elias Sports Bureau, this is the rank:
- Jimmy Dykes 2,962 games
- Frank Robinson 2,241
- Bobby Valentine 2,189
Updated 11/27
According to a report in the Boston Herald, the long and winding Red Sox managerial search has entered its final stages, and barring a surprise, the team has whittled its list to a pair of finalists: Gene Lamont and Bobby Valentine.
The former met with Sox ownership for a second interview earlier this week and remains in the running. The latter met with ownership first and then conducted a day-long interview with general manager Ben Cherington on Monday.
Original Post 11/20
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, Bobby Valentine and Ben Cherington will meet all day Monday to discuss the Boston Red Sox’s managerial job.
Cherington, presently on his way back to Boston from a brief scouting mission in the Dominican Republic, will not waste any time resuming the club’s search for its new manager. He and Valentine will trade philosophies, assess personnel and feel each other out and then the new Boston new general manager, will return to ownership with his final verdict.
This will be Valentine’s second interview with Boston’s brass and with no other interviews scheduled, it looks like it is Bobby V’s job to lose.
It was the Red Sox ownership group that has pushed for Valentine, so as long as he meets with Cherington’s approval, the job should be his and the announcemnt could come within the next 2-3 days if not sooner.
