SB Nation Boston - Boston Red Sox Manager Search: Bobby Valentine To Reportedly Manage Red Sox

Bill Belichick: I Love Bobby Valentine

2011-12-02T16:59:56Z

Bill Belichick was very fond of former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona. Alas, Tito is no more in Boston, and Belichick will have to move on. Fortunately, Belichick is also particularly fond of the team's new manager, Bobby Valentine.

"When I was in New York, Bobby was in New York with the Mets," Belichick said. "Love Bobby, great guy, great baseball guy. Love to talk to him, he's got a lot of energy. Don't get me wrong, I love Terry [Francona] but Bobby, I had a great relationship with Bobby in New York, went to several Mets games. Watched Keyshawn [Johnson] throw out the opening pitch and all that. Bobby is a wonderful guy. I look forward to catching up with him and seeing him here." (via WEEI)

Belichick and Valentine were both in New York at the same time, with Belichick serving as the defensive coordinator for the New York Jets from 1997 through 1999. Valentine managed the New York Mets from 1996 through 2002.

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Curt Schilling On Hiring Of Bobby Valentine: 'I Just Didn't See The Fit'

2011-12-01T19:04:39Z

Curt Schilling just doesn't get it. Bobby Valentine and the Boston Red Sox? There's just no way they fit together. That's what the legendary Red Sox pitcher told The Dennis & Callahan Morning Show in an appearance on Thursday's show.

"This one was just a stunning one for me. I didn't see the fit, I just didn't see the fit," Schilling said. "Personality wise, Bobby's a different bird. He's a different animal. He's a smart guy, I had a chance to work with him this year at ESPN and he's some very interesting takes on managing. It just caught me off guard, when I think about the baseball ops guys and what they want to do and how they want to do it here I just didn't see him being the guy on their list. ... When I think back to the mandate and what the initiative was to change around what happened at the end of last year, Bobby Valentine's not the guy I thought this ownership group would be advocating for." (via WEEI)

Valentine was reportedly the top choice of management on Tuesday night, and his deal will reportedly span two years. In 15 seasons as a manager, Valentine had a record of 1,117-1,072.

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Poll

Did The Red Sox Make The Right Choice In Hiring Bobby Valentine?

Yes.

27 votes

No.

19 votes

Too Soon To Tell.

22 votes

68 votes | Poll has closed

Bobby Valentine Will Reportedly Be Hired By Boston Red Sox

2011-11-30T00:35:51Z

Bobby Valentine will reportedly be the new manager of the Boston Red Sox, according to an ESPN report on Tuesday night citing an industry source. Valentine had been considered the front runner for the position for the last few weeks after Dale Sveum - seen as a front runner at the time - was hired by the Chicago Cubs.

Bobby Valentine, an analyst for ESPN, will be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox, a source close to the team said Tuesday night. Valentine was offered the job Tuesday and accepted it. Valentine, who appeared at a charity event in Japan on Monday, is scheduled to fly back home at midnight ET Wednesday. (via ESPN)

Valentine has managed with two teams prior to the Boston Red Sox - the Texas Rangers and New York Mets. Valentine has a career 1,117-1,072 record in 15 seasons as a manager. With the Rangers, Valentine had a 581-605 record in eight seasons while posting a 536-467 mark in seven years with the Mets. Valentine's best season came in 2000 when he guided the Mets to a 94-68 record and the National League pennant.

For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit our team page and blog, Over The Monster.

Boston Red Sox Manager Search: Gene Lamont No Longer A Candidate

2011-11-30T00:15:11Z

Just yesterday, we heard that the Boston Red Sox manager search was down to current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine and Detroit Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont. As of today, Lamont is no longer a candidate for the manager position (via ESPN Boston). Lamont, a former American League Manager of the Year (1993), has not managed a team since 2000. Valentine has not managed since 2009 when he was the manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines (2004-2009) in Japan's Pacific League. His last MLB managerial stint was with the New York Mets (1996-2002).

Despite Lamont being out of the running, the Red Sox have not offered Valentine the job. Part of the reason may be that Valentine is currently at a charity event in Japan and is not scheduled to leave Japan until late Eastern time on Wednesday. Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington wants to have a new manager by next Monday.

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Red Sox Manager Search: Comparing (And Lamenting) Bobby Valentine And Gene Lamont

2011-11-29T17:57:50Z

From a pool of five men, the Red Sox are down to just two in their hunt for a manager-one of which wasn't even mentioned in the initial bunch. First, there's Bobby Valentine, the controversial ESPN analyst and former manager of the Mets and Rangers whose name has brought new levels of enthusiasm from some, and complete terror from others. His competition is Gene Lamont, former skipper of the Pirates and White Sox who took home Manager of the Year honors in 1993. Originally brought in as an experienced foil to the otherwise fresh candidate list, it seems that Lamont convinced Ben Cherington and the Red Sox of the worth of a history in management.

Now can he convince them that his experience is more desirable than Bobby Valentine's? Let's take a look at the two managers' history:

In 15 years with the Rangers and Mets, Bobby Valentine is a combined 1117-1072.

In eight years with the White Sox and Pirates, Gene Lamont is 553-562.

That, of course, does not tell the whole story. A manager does not have a major impact on most teams, after all, compared to the actual players on the team. Bobby Valentine's Rangers were turned around by the revamping of the rotation and the addition of Scott Fletcher at shortstop. His Mets were aided by the arrival of players like John Olerud and Rick Reed. Gene Lamont, on the other hand, inherited a successful team with the White Sox before having it turned upside-down by the '94 strike. His stint with the Pirates...

Well, they're the Pirates.

So instead of looking at the total picture, let's look at what little we can see off the manager's strategy.

The most obvious bit of strategy employed by managers that can hurt a team is the bunt. It's been known for many years that a bunt is only a good choice in the most specific of situations. With Bobby Valentine we see that his teams were very middle-of-the-road in that regard with respect to their leagues. On the one hand, he should get some credit for having so many of his bunts with the Mets come from the offensively inept Rey Ordonez. On the other hand, that he used Scott Fletcher-one of his best on-base threats-so often is a knock against him.

Gene Lamont, on the other hand, takes a big hit from his record with the White Sox. Ranked second to the Red Sox (who weren't exactly on top of the world at the time), Lamont bunted regularly, with some very decent hitters like Ray Durham. While his record with Pittsburgh is more middle-of-the-road, it's hard to overlook what we see in Chicago.

Then there's stealing. Under Terry Francona, the Red Sox were a very conservative team on the basepaths, leading to low steal totals but a solid success rate of 75%. That's well over the threshold needed to make things worthwhile for the team.

Bobby Valentine's Rangers, on the other had, come out on the wrong side of the break even point at 65%. Notably, players like Jerry Browne, Pete Incaviglia, and Scott Fletcher were allowed to run relatively free despite racking up nearly as many outs as successful swipes-hardly a recipe for success. His record with the Mets is even worse, with all sorts of players who had no business straying off the bag being caught and throw out in nearly equal amounts.
Here Gene Lamont grades out much better. His teams are both well over the line and even approach Francona's numbers, with an absence of players trying 50 times with 30 successes-the real danger sign of a team being allowed to run freely when it should not. Of course, there's more to in-game strategy than just bunting and stealing, but things like bullpen management are hard to judge without having been there ourselves, actually watching the games.

So where does that leave us? Frankly, with two mediocre options. We've got free-running Bobby Valentine vs. buntin' Gene Lamont. Neither really shines through as someone completely in tune with the way a modern club should be playing baseball, but let's move outside that box of in-game to the places where Bobby Valentine takes the biggest hit.

You see, Gene Lamont doesn't exactly stand out in a crowd. He was released after a poor start to the 1995 season and a typical Pirates year in 2000, but he wasn't ever really run out of town. He gets positive comments from his coworkers to this very day, and seems to be the sort of guy who could slip into the position without too much difficulty.

Then you've got Bobby Valentine, who Murry Chass (as much as I may hate to link to the man) just called the most disliked man in baseball. The perception is not one limited to Chass, or to the insiders of the baseball world, either, as Valentine has so alienated the baseball world with his time on ESPN broadcasts that the second word of his candidacy leaked, the internet lit up with a mix of fear and disgust unheard of for the initial five candidates.

There's also the matter of how Valentine has been shown the door. Both with the Mets and the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan, Valentine had a hugely contentious relationship with management. The general manager of the Marines sent him packing after one year due to personal differences, Steve Phillips wasn't terribly pleased with him in New York, and when he went back to the Marines not even a championship kept the club's president from chasing him away.

If that's not bad enough, there's the similarities between Bobby Valentine's last year with the Mets and Terry Francona's last year with the Red Sox, with each seemingly losing the clubhouse and failing to crack down on the worst vices of players.

Neither man seems like the ideal candidate, but it's hard to get past the idea that Bobby Valentine is some kind of disaster waiting to happen. After their 2011 collapse, complete with clubhouse issues, the 2012 Red Sox are a team in need of a firm hand, yes. But there's a difference between being firm and being volatile. Gene Lamont doesn't exactly make anyone excited, but at least he doesn't inspire terror.

Boston Red Sox Manager Search: Decision Could Be Made Later This Week

2011-11-28T17:16:24Z

For almost two months, the Boston Red Sox front office has been looking for a new manager to replace Terry Francona, who was fired in early October. The search could possible come to an end sometime late this week tweeted Dan Roche of WBZ Monday.

According to previous reports, the field of candidates has been narrowed down to two men -- Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont. Roche believes that the job is Valentine's to lose.

Over the course of the managerial search, Valentine has met with the Red Sox brass multiple times. Valentine's overall appeal is that he has manage a large-market team before -- the New York Mets -- and he knows how to handle high-profile players, which Boston has a lot of.

Meanwhile, Lamont did win the Manger Of The Year Award in 1993, but hasn't managed since 2000.

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Boston Red Sox Manager Search: No Announcement Until Next Week, Likely Valentine or Lamont

2011-11-26T17:21:21Z

It appears the Boston Red Sox have narrowed their search for a new manager to two candidates, Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont.

Valentine, 61, has not managed in the Major Leagues since 2002, when he managed the New York Mets. He has worked as an analyst for ESPN the previous two years.

Lamont, 64, has not managed in the Major Leagues since 2000, when he managed the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lamont is a former AL Manager of the Year, winning the award in 1993.

According to Pete Abraham of the Globe, an official announcement will not be made until next week at the earliest.

Nothing will be settled today according to team sources and the earliest an announcement will be made is next week. Gene Lamont did indeed meet with ownership earlier this week, so he joins Bobby Valentine in that regard.

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Boston Red Sox Manager Search: Sox Still Want To Make Hire By Thanksgiving

2011-11-23T17:53:12Z

Time is running short, but the Boston Red Sox reportedly still want to end their manager search before Thanksgiving.

A source told Fox Sports' Jon Morosi that the Sox would like to have a manager by the time they sit down to a turkey-day feast.

Long-time manager Bobby Valentine, who currently works as a baseball analyst for ESPN, has become the apparent front-runner for the position. During parts of 15 seasons as an MLB manager, with the Texas Rangers and New York Mets, Valentine has 1,117 wins compared to 1,072 losses. He won two NL wild cards and one NL pennant with the Mets.

The Red Sox interviewed Valentine for the second time on Monday. He told the media that he initially met with Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington and owner Larry Lucchino on Nov. 3.

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