Posts Tagged ‘red sox’
Valentine’s day in Boston, but not everybody’s in love with the new manager
At a press conference today, Bobby Valentine was introduced as the new manager of the Boston Red Sox. The 61-year-old has previously managed of the Rangers, Mets and in Japan. Most recently he worked as an analyst for ESPN. Team President Larry Lucchino has seemingly been sold on the prospect of Valentine for some time, others aren’t as sure.
Reports have surfaced that several Red Sox players weren’t pleased about the Valentine selection. Having been told by General Manager Ben Cherrington that Valentine was not a candidate, they are said to feel lied to and disappointed by the front office.
Unfortunately, members of the front office might be disappointed with the choice as well. Although he praised Valentine at the press conference, Cherrington was believed to want to hire Gene Lamont. The fact that the decision was made in spite of the wishes of the general manager may signify tension within the upper ranks of the team. In Lamont, Cherrington would have someone that would cater to his wishes. Valentine, however is known to clash with executives, never more apparent then during his time in New York.
Happy Halloween boys and ghouls. In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, I think its only right that I report on something evil. No, there aren’t any ghosts on the gridiron. Dracula is not up to bat. But there is something brewing with the evil empire.
With the thought of their ace opting out of his current contract and testing the free agent market haunting them; the New York Yankees have signed pitcher C.C. Sabathia to a beast of a contract at five years and $122 million dollars. C.C.’s spell in pinstripes has been quite scary to his opponents and has included a Cy Young as the American League’s top pitcher. But it has also included a ghastly relief appearance, in which the left-hander gave up the series-deciding run against the Tigers.
While a $24.4 million may seem like a lot of money, I doubt George Steinbrenner will be rolling in his grave. C.C. was the only consistent pitcher in the Yankees’ rotation last year and there weren’t any better options on the looming free agent market. The Rangers were promising to throw a “boat-load” of money at the 31-year-old. With free agency looming at the stoke of midnight, the Yankees had no choice but to assume Sabathia would opt-out and concede to his wishes.
We are right in the middle of an exciting World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers with their 2 aces matching up against each other tonight. But that’s not all that’s happening in the baseball world.
In a time that is supposed to be reserved for the two teams that are still actually playing, many other names are popping up in the headlines. Today. the Philadelphia Phillies declined their options on pitchers Brad Lidge and Roy Oswald, adding marquee names to a thin pitching market. Prince Fielder all but said goodbye to the Brewers in a press conference following their NLCS series loss. People can’t help but speculate about C.C. Sabathia and the uncertainty surrounding the Yankees pitching staff.
But the teams grabbing the most headlines are the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox. In a move that has long been speculated, former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein left the Bosox for the Chicago Cubs. If you are questioning why the youngest GM in baseball history would leave his hometown team for the lowly Cubs, there are plenty of reasons.