Carl Crawford breaks his silence & speaks with Bobby Valentine

Finally Carl Crawford broke his silence and spoke with manager Bobby Valentine.  While I could call him the new manager, he’s been on the job for a couple of months now and it’s taken Crawford that long to finally agree to speak with him.

It was over the phone and happened earlier this week but at least the two had a chance to connect and hopefully clear the air.  It was Crawford who refused to respond to Valentine’s repeated attempts to contact him.  Multiple text messages and voicemails were sent from Valentine but the former All-star outfielder kept his distance and remained on mute.

Multiple but unconfirmed reports stated that Crawford was disgruntled with Valentine over the comments he made about Carl’s batting stance early last year when Bobby served as an analyst on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.  Yes Carl, the world watches on Sunday night and an entire Nation was frustrated with your performance last year so let’s put it all behind us and look forward to this upcoming season.

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and Crawford’s agent were also on the line, so while Bobby V got his chance to chat with Carl, there still may be some trust issues between the two.

Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports that Valentine did speak to the media about his conversation with Crawford and deemed Carl “sounded good.”

“He seemed very determined and understanding of the fact that things got spinning a little fast for him last year in this environment. And he seems to be determined to correct that.” – courtesy of S. Lauber, Boston Herald.

Crawford has been working out in his hometown of Houston and recently Valentine was in Texas to visit teammates of Crawford’s but again, didn’t hear from the former Tampa Bay Ray resulting in another trip without a face to face meeting.

Nothing has been confirmed yet as to whether the two will meet in person prior to Spring Training, but this is a huge first step in the healing process.  Valentine has made it known that helping Crawford rebound from a disappointing 2011 season is one his top priorities.  This phone conversation is a good first step.

The Red Sox will need Carl to regain his old form if they wish to push the Yankees for the division this year.

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