One, Two Three Strikes You’re Out: Bobby V Being Bobby V
Who would have thought over the past 48 hours that you’d have to get so out there that the only bigger jackass in Major League Baseball to outdo you would have been Ozzie Guillen? Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was able to a keep a lid on it for all of nine games before the mouth that roared got him into hot water. That’s 5.56% of the season kids.
"At this rate we’re in for another 17 incidents ranging from minor kerfuffle to if-you-ever-look-at-me-again-I’ll-hit-you-with-this-baseball. It was bound to happen sooner or later. I just didn’t think it would be this soon."
Let me break it down very simply. Valentine, when talking pre-game in the dugout on Sunday to WHDH-TV’s SportsXTra, said, “I don’t think he’s (Kevin Youkilis) as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason.” Youkilis, speaking to WEEI said, “I’m more confused than anything, because I think everyone knows I go out and play the game as hard as I can. That’s just my style of play. I never was blessed with the raw tools … so I’ve always had to use playing the game as hard and with full effort my whole life. I don’t know any better, so that’s just the way I play.”
Dustin Pedroia rushed to Youk’s defense today, set Valentine straight and drew a line in the sand when he told WEEI, “I know that Youk plays as hard as anybody I’ve ever seen in my life. I have his back, and his teammates have his back. We know how hard he plays. I don’t really understand what Bobby’s trying to do. But that’s really not the way we go about our stuff here. I’m sure he’ll figure that out soon.”
In wake of the off field Game of Groans, Valentine became culpable between the lines in the Sox Patriot’s Day finale Monday that turned into a 1-0 loss against the Rays. Valentine left starter Daniel Bard for one inning too long, only yanking him in the seventh after a walk, single, walk, walk sequence forced across the game’s only run, ruining an otherwise superlative performance by Boston’s new righty starter. The bullpen has been great during this series and he leaves in a newly minted starter early in the season and then stands by to watch the meltdown. First walk in the seventh and Bard’s gone. That’s the rule Bobby.
Finally, this creepy crawler of a story grew more legs when Valentine apologized to Youkilis on Monday. “I don’t know if he accepted my apology,” Valentine said. “It was sincere.” Pffftt!!
The moral of the story? Stay focused on baseball Bobby. If you hadn’t pulled a Grady Little today your team might have won their fourth in a row, swept the Rays, pulled to .500 and not become the sole dweller in the AL East cellar.
For all the latest news and analysis from BoSox Injection, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or with our RSS feed.