August 14 2012; Baltimore, MD, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine (25) in the dugout during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

This being the case, the Valentine hire was star crossed from the starting gun. His known bombast and “my way or the highway” did not bode well for success.  They needed Dr. Phil, not the Navy Seals.  From day one he clashed with his players, publicly denigrated them and overworked his mouth. I guess one should not be surprised that one who claims to have invented the wrap sandwich, which had been in existence for hundreds of years, would have no trouble with self-approval.

Cut to the season’s end – exit Mr. Valentine. No long thought process, no suspense – just “you’re fired. Get out.” So, once again, Mr. Valentine found himself on the discarded manager pile, where he had been twice before. Then, something unusual. Bobby was quiet. There was no reappearance on ESPN, rumored managerial or coaching hirings, nothing.  Just recently, I mean like yesterday, suddenly, without a prior leak, he emerged as the executive director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Sacred Heart College in Connecticut , Valentine’s point of temporal entry.  (One would think the Vatican had enough controversy to handle at this point without adding him to the incense pot.)

During a recent  interview with WEEI, Valentine glibly alluded to his days as Red Sox manager. “I thought I did a hell of a job in Boston,” Valentine said.

“I thought what had to be done there was done except for winning a pennant. But Connie Mack wasn’t going to win with that team.”  The blog Big League Stew added “ Of course he didn’t do a “hell” of a job with the Red Sox, unless that means he contributed to the hell that was 2012”  I guess he thinks the Sox would have wound up in the National League cellar as well as the American league if he were not there. What a silly twit.

Gentle reader, please do not waste any precious time digesting Mr. Valentine’s remarks. He is a loser, will always be a loser and should be ashamed of himself for belittling the team he publicly humiliated. The Sox were down, no doubt; but shame and name calling were not on the recommended list for possible cures. I could go on for another few thousand words concerning the disservice and mismanagement by Mr. Valentine but you get my point.  Do you think he went to Sacred Heart to have absolution readily available? Please don’t write in screaming sacrilege. I am a Roman Catholic myself, but I am also a journalist of sorts, and the irony here was too good to ignore.  So Robert John Valentine , go forth and sin no more – and shut up.

Finally, it’s your turn to drive the car, Ben.  Last summer, while you were learning to drive, Uncle Larry kept grabbing the wheel, until he crashed the car.   Dad promised that from now on Uncle Larry, that old know-it-all, will go back to his real job, running the Red & Pink Trinket Shop across the street from Fenway–it’s your car, at last!

Last season, at what point did you know that your pal, Larry, the CEO of the team, had thrown you under the bus?  At what point did you realize the Red Sox organization did NOT want you to Be Their Valentine evermore?

Not so fast, Larry.

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“I’m calling it…3:28 PM…EST…July 22nd…

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(Image Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE)

Towards the middle of the interview (which can be found in its entirety at WEEI.com here) host Glenn Ordway asked Valentine about his coaching staff, reminding everyone in the process that Valentine wasn’t given much say in his own staff upon being hired a year ago. Valentine’s answers were short, to say the least.

Ordway: Do you feel the coaching staff and people around you have been loyal during the course of the season?

Valentine: No.

Ordway: Why?

Valentine: You asked what I feel and I told you what I feel.

Ordway: Do you think these guys have undermined you at times?

Valentine: Yes. That’s what I feel.

Valentine didn’t hesitate to make it clear that he doesn’t feel he had the support of his coaching staff this past season, but didn’t go as far as blaming the team’s failures on that fact. However, it’s still a concerning item to hear from the team’s manager even though there is nobody in Boston that believes he will be back for another season next year.

It’s true that most of the coaching staff was in place before Valentine was named Manager of the Red Sox. Dave Magadan, Tim Bogar, and Gary Tuck have all been in the organization for a number of years and only Bogar took on a new role this past season. The trio had been around for most, if not all of the Francona Era in Boston so it’s entirely possible that there were some differences of opinion along the way this past season. First and Third Base Coaches Alex Ochoa and Jerry Royster, however, were new this season and we already know that the team had to replace their pitching coach mid-season. How involved Valentine may have been in those hiring decisions remains unclear, but it’s safe to say that there was a void in leadership within the clubhouse and much of that continues to stem from Valentine himself.

It’s increasingly more clear that Valentine won’t be back next season and nor should he be. He did state during the interview that he had not yet been approached by anyone in the team’s front office about his future, though at this point that doesn’t surprise. Ben Cherington will likely have that conversation with Valentine tomorrow, when the team returns after their final game tonight in New York. Presumably an announcement will be made public by week’s end. At this point Valentine doesn’t sound like a man who wants to return for a second season, making it clear to Ordway that “it’s not going to be an easy job no matter who’s at the helm”.

Update, 7:36 PM EST: Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com is confirming the expectation that Valentine will be let go either Thursday or Friday, though it’s unclear if Valentine will receive an opportunity to save his job or if the final decision has already been made. He also added some further insight into Valentine’s comments from earlier in the day, specifically that Bogar was one of the chief individuals that Valentine had some tension with.

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I have decided maybe we have been too hard on Mr. Valentine. Maybe, we have been cruel and judgemental and unwelcoming. I for one am going to change that. I am going to extend my hand to Mr. Valentine and offer him some future job prospects for the upcoming year of 2013. I took careful consideration with this matter as, we all know very clearly what Bobby’s qualifications consist of. We are Red Sox fans, we are nothing, if not compassionate. I believe these are Bobby’s top five job perspectives. Don’t tell me I never did anything for you Bobby.

Aug 19, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine (25) looks to the dugout wall during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-US PRESSWIRE

Number 1: I saw recently and by recently I mean as of today, that your beloved Dunkin Donuts in Boston is looking for highly motivated people (clearly might not be for you)  for all shifts. I am pretty sure we have all seen your commercial that “you run on Dunkin”, if not here is the link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gt0FkEsWMU). Of course even in your commercial no one is sure of the calls you’re making. They are hiring for all shifts so I think this could be a real viable option for you. Who am I kidding, you? Customer service? Not likely.

Number 2: A hip hop artist. I know what you are thinking, you can’t do it. Listen, if Coco Crisp can do it, I believe in you. I would gladly help you write some lyrics. For example: My name is Bobby V I suck the life out of the game -Hire me once your team will never be the same. Yeah, I hate the Yankees but I love Ben- I never got hired to help the Red Sox win. Okay…maybe not.

Number 3: Work at a Halloween store. I agree this does sound like way too much fun. My theory however, is that you can be the villain/monster you have been trying so hard to pretend you’re not. Maybe it is time you embrace your super evil. You can finally wear all the masks you want to, coach, martyr, friend, backstabber, the list goes on!! Then with your “seasonal” experience maybe you can also       get hired to steal Christmas. It’s a win-win.

Number 4: I thought really hard about this one. What I think is you and Luke Scott share a common virus. I think it is called Sticking My Foot In My Mouth Syndrome . With Luke Scott’s bright future as a garbage man, and your lack of commitment to do anything helpful for the Red Sox this season I am sure he would be glad to put in a good word for you at any dump. According to him you already have experience working at Fenway. Maybe he can even help you grow some Wolverine sideburns. See? I really do care about what is best for you.

Number 5: Security Guard. I know for you this will seem difficult as it will require people to trust you. I honestly thought that it would be a great position for you since not only are you not worried about job security and you are a master at creating lineups. Also with your willingness to punch people in the face, I think you would be a great enforcer. Also since you have stated and continue to prove that you are concerned with character not reputation, what better job to show exactly what kind of character nay, integrity you have. You could be a hero! For real this time!

In closing, there were many, many more job prospects that I looked at for Mr. Valentine. I am sure I missed some epic prospects. I am just trying to help and give Bobby a little encouragement for the future. Anyone else want to offer Bobby some future employment options?

Valentine appeared on The Big Show again on Wednesday afternoon, mainly because I’m sure he’s legally obligated to appear on a weekly basis, but this time he showed off his sense of humor (see the attached picture, courtesy and credit to The Big Show/WEEI 93.7 FM).  Bobby V came to the Fenway radio studios with a pair of boxing gloves as if to say “I’m ready for that fight I mentioned last week.”

Both Valentine and Ordway apologized to kick off the interview which quickly diffused any tension between the two parties.  Ordway admitted that he knew the comment by Valentine was a joke, despite Bobby sounding over the top angry.  Job security for Valentine continues to be a discussion point amongst Red Sox fans and media, but Bobby is confident that he’s the man to lead this group into the resurgent 2013 season.

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“What an embarrassing thing to say. If I was there I’d punch you right in the mouth. How’s that sound? Sound like I checked out? What an embarrassing thing,” Valentine said. “That’s something that a comic strip person would write.” – all quotes courtesy of the The Big Show/WEEI 93.7 FM

You can hear the full interview here, courtesy of WEEI.com and you’ll notice that Bobby has a much larger edge to him than he has in the past.  Over the past several weeks his fuse has become shorter with the media to the point where it’s taken on a sarcastic drone, resembling a manager who is waiting for his pink slip.

Bobby may not admit that he’s checked out, but all indications are that he has.  Sure the media in Boston can be relentless and sometimes down right rude, but that’s what they’re getting paid to do and losing in a fishbowl market doesn’t help any.  Winning cures everything and Bobby knows that.  This season is not entirely on him but as of late, it’s becoming clear that he is drawing much more attention to himself then he needs.

Valentine continued his rant on Ordway when the host brought up the fact that Valentine was “late” arriving to the Oakland coliseum on Friday for a game against the A’s.  Bobby blamed a delayed flight that was carrying his son and again defended his actions.

“I shouldn’t have to explain that. That pisses me off,” Valentine said “Because whoever wrote that knew what happened, they knew that my son was coming to see me for the first time in this lousy season and I got to see him on the road. His flight was late and I was waiting at the airport for his flight to come in.

“I came in and sent the lineup in and reported to my coaches that I was going to be a little late. For someone to say that I was late is an absolute disgrace to their integrity if they have any. … I wasn’t late. When you call in and say that you’re delayed in traffic coming from the San Francisco Airport to the stupid Oakland Coliseum and that there’s a traffic jam, then you’re not late, no.”

You have to listen to the interview to get the full effect, but you get the idea.  Bobby is tired, defeated and now deflated as I wrote yesterday.  He doesn’t have anything left to give to this club and he called his first year in Boston a miserable one.

Bobby even went as far as to compare himself to Rays manager, Joe Maddon, citing that he often arrives to the ballpark three hours before the first pitch.  Maddon is said to arrive for home games five hours before the scheduled start times and a little later when on the road.  I don’t think Bobby can compare himself to Maddon in any sense of the word.

Even if Maddon did practice a late arrival,the difference is, he wins and Bobby doesn’t.  Maybe this is all an act to help convince the Red Sox management to turf Bobby now and not let anyone further endure anymore pain of watching him manage this club for the remaining 25 games of the season.  If it is, he’s doing a hell of a job in embarrassing himself and what was such a proud organization.

It’s time to move on from the Bobby Valentine show……now!

“I’m calling it…3:28 PM…EST…July 22nd…

The frustrated surgeon snaps off the gloves and the nurse covers the patient’s head and Red Sox hat with a white sheet.

R.I.P. Boston Red Sox, 2012.”

[http://bosoxinjection.com/2012/07/23/red-sox-declared-dead-328-pmestjuly-22nd/]

Just after his diffident, indifferent crew of malcontents was swept by the swashbuckling gang of overachievers in Oakland, Valentine had run out of sunshine; he had been fighting on, long after the crew had replaced the Jolly Roger with his white bed sheet.

The whirling dervish of optimism ran out of spin, wobbled in the visitors’ clubhouse in Oakland that day and fell over like a child’s top, surrendering to the inexorable drag of gravity.

The man with the permanent smile, which now masked a bitterness born of betrayal, recognized that “all the King’s horses and all the King’s men” and not even he, Baba Valentine the Great, could reassemble this rotten egg.

He had to admit that, even when he was the manager, when indifference rules a team:

“What difference does it make?”

The man, who had raced around the spring training complex with the rejuvenated joy of a retired vaudevillian given a full summer run at Carnegie Hall, was now described as “despondent,” “almost whispering,” uttering his words “softly” and “quietly.”

On that day, manager Valentine, standing stolidly at the ship’s ancient wheel,  looked back over his shoulder and saw that his crew were not at their posts; they were down below deck, drinking and eating and counting their spoils.  He was the victim of a bloodless mutiny; the crew didn’t hang or gore him; they simply ignored him.

The hyper-active, leader of men, who relished the thought of shaping up this incorrigible gang of overindulged underachievers, is now Dead Captain Walking.

In the end, Valentine was not the solution, but became a major part of the problem.

It was this ebullient self-confidence that made him susceptible to his friend Larry Lucchino, an even more excessively confident man, who borders on megalomania. At some point, CEO Lucchino hatched a Master Plan in his fertile imagination: the September Swoon Sox needed a new manager that would “kick ass,” shake them up and bring professional discipline to the team.  He decided that his friend Bobby was the perfect man for the task.  And Bobby’s over-abundance of self-confidence over-ruled the logic of his Id and allowed him to buy into Lucchino’s disconnected fantasy.

All through the “Strangeness” shit storm, while Valentine’s boss, GM Cherington, gleefully sided with the players, while the relentless media launched feces spheres at his face, while the owner listened to Cardinal “Larry” Richelieu whispering in his ear, the manager was never offered a towel or an umbrella by his pal who sent him into the malicious maelstrom.

Almost 50 years ago, the sage poet wrote this cautionary lyric:

“Everybody said they’d stand behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was nobody even there to call my bluff…”

Bobby Valentine is a very intelligent person, who knows a lot about baseball, who loves attention, who was easily set-up to fail by his friend, Mr. Lucchino.

Valentine did not realize that, after 12 years in a contrasting culture, he had become a modern day Rip Van Winkle who. awakened , tried to use his Old School methods on Modern Millionaires, too many of whom now play for money over pride and self-respect.

Almost certainly Mr. Valentine did not read our post back on April 17th:

“You are a literary man and you have likely read the volume of essays by the died-too-young, brilliant author, David Foster Wallace, entitled Consider The Lobster.

You’re Bobby Valentine and you know that once a lobster squirms through that small hole in the trap, he cannot reverse course; his fate is sealed. As a self-proclaimed gourmet chef, you know how to cook a lobster, proper.

Yet, you chose to dance on the rim of the pot of boiling water with the self-proclaimed self-awareness that one mis-step would mean you were doomed to land “in hot water” and, within fifteen minutes, you had to know that you would be “cooked.”

You’re Bobby Valentine and you must know that the cover has been placed over the pot and that not a single  Red Sox fan in New England can hear your voice anymore; the citizens of Red Sox Nation can only hear that familiar desperate scratching sound.

Up “they-yah” and Down East, folks know that, to people “from away,” it sounds like a scream when the lobster hits boiling water. But, Sox fans in New England know, the lobster isn’t screaming; it’s just the sound of air, expanding as it heats, that last gasp of hot air rushing from the heedless lobster’s body.”

Recall:

Toward the end of the previous season, his predecessor, Tito Francona, went into a fugue state and shifted from a “laissez faire” approach to the most passive form of benign neglect.  Mr. Francona might have had his life on fire with personal issues that distracted his attention; in any case, he let the inmates take over the institution [especially the kitchen and media room].

Bobby Valentine’s failure to succeed with the Red Sox was primarily due to his overabundance of self-confidence, which, although supported by a successful career, has gained him the reputation as a “smart alec” with an over-sized ego.

It was this ebullient self-confidence that made him susceptible to his friend Larry Lucchino, an even more excessively confident man, who borders on megalomania. At some point, CEO Lucchino hatched a Master Plan in his fertile imagination: the September Swoon Sox needed a new manager that would “kick ass,” shake them up and bring professional discipline to the team.  He decided that his friend Bobby was the perfect man for the task.

Owner John Henry had privately told him that he was the man who would run the Red Sox, so the ubiquitously “empowered” Lucchino was confident that, whoever Cherington dug up as candidates, he would prevail and Valentine would manage the Red Sox in 2012 and 2013.

The only hurdle left before implementation was Bobby, but Larry was sure he could convince his friend to take on the job.

At some time prior to November 3, 2011, he called Bobby and they had a meeting.  Larry made his case and, after a minimum of time spent on the obligatory mention of the “downside” of the idea, Bobby bit.

Many other less capable, but less confident men would have demurred, considering:

• After the September Swoon, the clubhouse had become a toxic pile of sullen adolescents, clubhouse snitches, prima donnas, and no leadership. The inmates had been allowed enough time to take over the asylum.  It was like handing a new manager a wet bag of garbage.
• The Red Sox Nation is a cauldron of contentiousness, where rabid fans and merciless media are relentless in their criticism of the team.
• With the third largest payroll in MLB, expectations were very high.
• Too many players were on long-term contracts, which tended toward an “I don’t need to listen to you; I can wait you out” attitude.

Despite these fundamental problems and his own awareness that:

He was away from the game for 12 years.

He had a reputation for bad-mouthing his players in the media.

He knew he was being rammed down the GM’s throat.

He knew about his reputation for lobbing Molotov cocktails at sparks.

Bobby took the job.

He took it, because he fell under the spell of hubris.

We will refine the definition to more elegantly describe Mr. Valentine.

With him is it the temptation of his ego to allow him to believe that he can do something that others cannot.  Like untying the “Gordian Knot,” or worse, “shaping up” a toxic Red Sox team.

It is the flavor of hubris that craves attention; a voracious and insatiable need to feed the ego with recognition.

The flavor of arrogance here derives less from excessive pride and more from passion.

Take his hubris down a notch and it is courage, determination, and idealism.

On Baseball Tonight he was commenting on stories, but that was not enough: he wanted to be the story.

Because he missed The Show and the limelight; he took on the impossible task.

In classic literature, hubris inexorably resigns the hero to terrible consequences.

It was his heroic, but tragic attempt to overstep normal human limits.

“Between the Idea and the Reality… falls The Shadow.” –T.S. Eliot

After obtaining Valentine’s commitment, Lucchino took Cherington with him to the World Affairs Council Panel discussion in Hartford on November 3^rd.  Larry asked that Valentine show up early for the panel discussion in which they would participate. He used the staged opportunity to introduce Cherington to Valentine. Ben was in the audience and Larry expected he would be impressed with Valentine.  Apparently he was not, since no formal interview was scheduled.

Undeterred, Lucchino ordered Cherington to meet with Valentine a few weeks later [Nov. 21] at the Fenway offices and to schedule a formal interview for Valentine the following day.

Minimizing the significance of the informal interview, Cherington made the media announcement via email, the night before the meeting.

Due to the requirement to interview Valentine and others, Cherington’s first choice, Dale Sveum, was hired by his former boss, GM Theo Epstein, to manage the Cubs on November 18^th.

On November 21, Peter Abraham, Globe Staff, observed:

“Valentine emerged as the leading candidate last week after Red Sox ownership met with Dale Sveum and did not make him an offer. Sveum had been Cherington’s choice after the first round of interviews.

Now Valentine is the front-runner in that he apparently comes pre-approved by team president Larry Lucchino. Valentine also has the support of principal owner John Henry, according to sources.” [Valentine emerged as the leading candidate last week after Red Sox ownership met with Dale Sveum and did not make him an offer. Sveum had been Cherington’s choice after the first round of interviews.

[http://articles.boston.com/2011-11-21/sports/30425642_1_bobby-valentine-ben-cherington-red-sox]

Three other candidates, Sandy Alomar Jr., Gene Lamont and Torey Lovullo were alleged to be in contention along with Valentine.  But Lucchino knew that this was a farce; these three “candidates” were simply straw men, since he was running the Red Sox, including the hiring of the new manager.

At some point, Cherington figured out that he would not be allowed to make the choice; a decision usually assigned to the General Manager; he realized that Lucchino had neutered him and that, since owner Henry had granted his CEO unlimited power, Ben was now the “Monkey in the Middle” between Lucchino and Valentine.

On November 22^nd, exactly 48 years since President Kennedy was assassinated, Valentine went through the motions of the interview and then met with the media.

It was also the 23^rd anniversary of the unveiling of the Stealth bomber.

Adding a second insult to Cherington’s GM role, Valentine leaked the decision.

On November 29^th, USA Today reported:

“Bobby Valentine accepted the Boston Red Sox’s offer Tuesday to become their next manager, according to Tommy Lasorda, special assistant to Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt.

“I’m glad he accepted the job,” Lasorda told USA TODAY. “He’s good for baseball and he’ll get them right back where they should be. Let me put it this way: They won’t be drinking beer and eating chicken in that clubhouse again, I guarantee you that.”

Valentine telephoned Lasorda to inform him he accepted the job. Valentine was on a charity event in Japan, where he managed for seven years. The Red Sox have declined comment, but Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said Monday that he hoped to have a manager by Friday.”

Embarrassed by Valentine, Cherington announced, the next evening, that Bobby Valentine would be introduced as manager Thursday, when Cherington’s Press Release said “the team will host a news conference at 5:30 p.m. at Fenway Park to announce Valentine’s hire.”

Thus did the venerable franchise come full circle from the 1967 “Impossible Dream” to the 2012 “Impossible Team?”

“Bobby Valentine, more than most people, knows how to smile while clenching his teeth. He understands it looks better to smile, but he has never been good at concealing his true feelings.”–TYLER KEPNER, NYT, July 28, 2012.

[http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/29/sports/baseball/bobby-valentine-fighting-for-job-with-flawed-red-sox-roster.html?_r=1]

Set up to be the “New Sheriff in Town,” believing the Lucchino had “empowered” him with full managerial authority, Valentine cleaned up the chicken and beer that was still rotting in the clubhouse from last September and confidently proclaimed a ban.

Shortly, Valentine said Youkilis wasn’t “as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past.” [SOURCE: Steven Buckley, Boston Herald]

Still smarting from previous slights and indignities perpetrated by Lucchino and Valentine Cherington responded (via CBS Boston) by backing up the player, undercutting the authority of the manager:

“First of all, the way he expressed that was not the best way to express that. He said the same thing to Kevin and apologized. I think we’ll all learn from it and be able to handle it differently.”

Where was his CEO pal, Larry, when Valentine was chided by GM Cherington?

Then Pedroia inserted himself into the controversy, sticking up for his team mate:

”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.  We’ve got Youk’s back. He’s played his [butt] off for us for a long time …”

In his weekly show, WHDH-TV’s Sports Extra, Valentine tried to spin Pedroia’s statement:

“That’s one of those things. I really appreciate players when they stick together. That’s exactly what he should be doing.”

But the damage had already been done and the “Us vs. Him” game was on and Bobby was just beginning to realize that the players were “serious sunburn” sensitive to his reputation for calling out his Mets’ players in the media and ready to react to the slightest touch.

This was followed by Valentine revealing a weeks old incident, that a coach had reported to management;  Jacoby Ellsbury had made two errors in one inning and, when he returned to the dugout, Bobby, using Old School sarcasm said something like “Nice inning, kid…”

Valentine received the approbation of management via his boss, GM Cherington; no one came to the manager’s defense in the matter.

Although Valentine believed he had the full support of Lucchino, his pal who was running the Red Sox, he knew the media “story line”– he was in a battle with his General Manager and his players.

“Between the Idea and the Reality… falls The Shadow.” –T.S. Eliot

Valentine’s Spring of optimism season, skipped summer and turned to a dark Winter; Valentine would spend the rest of the season in the shadows; his only option was to clench his teeth put on that famous shiny smile, enthusiastically feign optimism, play out the string of the 2012 season, and privately plan his return to Sports broadcasting.

Thus, despite the plain Reality – his team at .500 (55-56), 9 games behind the Yankees; 4½ games out of the second wild-card spot, behind four teams, he grins hard and says, two days ago [August 8^th] in an interview on Boston sports radio station WEEI:

“I think we’re a playoff team and I think we’re going to be there before the season is over,”

When the host suggested that the Red Sox would probably need 89 wins to clinch the second wild-card spot, which would require them to win 2 out of 3 of their remaining 51 games, a 34-17 record, Valentine replied”

“Yeah, of course…Of course, we can do better than that. I don’t think that’s so optimistic, I think it’s realistic if we stay healthy. Right now we have some concerns in the bullpen. If that stabilizes I think there’s big runs ahead.”

It turned out that there were no runs in the Sox, but there were some gaping holes and, in the end, the one thing that is true about Bobby Valentine and the 2012 Red Sox team is that—despite the pairing mandated by CEO Lucchino–they were a very “bad fit.”

Possibly someday, Bobby Valentine will be joyfully preparing a gourmet Japanese dinner for two in his kitchen in Connecticut, while a lobster taps its farewell death dance, and Bobby sings along with the Dylan song on the oldies’ station:

‘Everybody said they’d stand behind me
When the game got rough
But the joke was on me
There was nobody even there to call my bluff…”

And, his wife enters the kitchen and Bobby says:

“It will be ready in about five minutes…You know, I still can’t figure out how I let Larry talk me into taking that job…”

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Somewhere through the charred remains of this fragile baseball team, you’ll find a deflated and defeated manager in Valentine.  It’s evident that the players have quit on him, referencing to the seven game losing skid and down right free fall that is club is enduring while on the west coast.  And now Valentine appears to have thrown in the towel as well.

Friday afternoon, while his club was preparing for a game against the Oakland A’s, Valentine strolled into the ballpark at approximately 4:15, just under three hours before game time.  His excuse?  He had to pick up his son from the airport.  Couldn’t he have had someone with the club do that or hire an outside agency to play chauffeur?  His focus and responsibilities should have been with the team, but they weren’t and now it’s evident that Valentine is growing tired of this feeding frenzy that the media has created.  The problem is, Valentine continues to give them endless material to further stoke the fire.

Another example of a deflated Valentine was when he answered a question after losing their sixth straight game on Thursday to the Angels.  ”What difference does it make” is all Valentine could muster up in what was a soft mutter as though he’d just found out his dog died.

Lately he’s been firing back at the reporters grilling him on the latest blunder or lineup decision, a different form of emotion that we never saw from Bobby for the first four months of the season.  He even called one of Gordon Edes questions “crazy” and stated that he wasn’t going to answer that.

On Monday morning, Valentine had breakfast with John Henry, principal owner of the Sox.  When asked what they talked about, Valentine again took the opportunity to head down the sarcastic route.

“You know you don’t go there. What do you think, we talked about art? Liverpool? We talked about baseball and our team, obviously. Things that he’s concerned with are the things that I deal with.”

Was the meeting a good one?

“I always feel good after breakfast,” Valentine said. “It’s one of my favorite meals.” – courtesy of the Boston Globe

It’s evident that Valentine is tired of it all.  He’s tired of trying to make sense of a bad situation in which he can’t do much about.  Injuries have plagued this club all season, but it’s also apparent that Valentine has lost control of this ship and he’s now ready to walk the plank.

Fellow writers here at BSI, Steve and Earl both described their angles on the situation.  Steve says Bobby is being boiled like a frog, while Earl suggests finding a humane way to end the Valentine and Red Sox fan’s misery. It is now clear that Valentine doesn’t have much more to give.  He’s a defeated manager at the big league level and it’s time to end his tenure as skipper of the Red Sox.  The players have quit responding to him and the fans know that the only way things will ever get better is to find another manager who can hopefully lead this team.  Bobby Valentine is not that guy and now it appears, even he recognizes that.

Aug 29, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine (25) reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

Bobby Valentine was plopped into the cool waters of spring training where everything is possible and no pressure exists. After the 2011 fried chicken and beer debacle, how could things get any worse? After five full months of miserable baseball, the answer has become abundantly clear; a lot worse. It is clear that this team has given up on their manager. What were once minor annoyances earlier in the season have become grounds for divorce and it appears the team has collectively decided to bring the once cool pot to a full rolling boil at end the season. Things will not get better as the Sox march toward possibly their worst season since 1992.

After Tito Francona was unceremoniously and unjustifiably axed (this is not revisionist history, I have always stuck to this line of reasoning), Valentine has gone from – if not necessarily the answer – to the problem. His players never liked or respected him and now it is showing in a most humiliatingly public way.

The organization is in disarray. More profound changes than four players being moved to Los Angeles need to take place. Sometimes to right the ship the captain has to walk the plank.

As Herbert Morrison tearfully described the wreck of the Hindenburg in 1937 (by the way, the Red Sox were 80-72 that year and didn’t make the playoffs), “It bursts into flames…Oh the humanity…I can’t talk ladies and gentlemen.” And end of scene.

A number of the Red Sox management team is in Seattle today on “other business.” If you believe that I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you.

Miniature disasters and minor catastrophoes 
Bring me to my knees 
Well I must be my own master 
Or a miniature disaster will be 
It will be the death of me
- Miniature Disasters, KT Tunstall 

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The results are in and it’s a lot closer than I thought it would be.  A total of 570 votes were cast and 52% (298 votes) were in favor of firing Bobby Valentine.  Call it a split if you will.

These results make sense as it seems anytime you talk to one Sox fan who wants Bobby gone, the next says it’s not his fault and he should not be fired.

This September will have a different feel than last year given the Sox are out of the postseason hunt and all eyes will turn to the offseason moves that the club should make.  Guaranteed to be discussed is Bobby’s future.

Personally, I don’t think Bobby will be around next year.  Is he the problem for this embarrassing season?  Not entirely, but I don’t think he was the solution to the underlying issues that he inherited when he took over Terry Francona’s office.

As always, thanks to everyone who voted and be sure to check out our latest poll where we ask you to grade Ben Cherington’s bold trade with the Dodgers.  Early results show a landslide in favor of “pass – it had to be done.”

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