The Sports Xchange
Valentine gets vote of confidence from GM
Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine may be hearing boos from the crowd at Fenway Park, but his boss has his back.
In the aftermath of Saturday’s stunning 15-9 loss to the New York Yankees, in which the Red Sox blew a nine-run lead, general manager Ben Cherington offered a vote of confidence for Valentine, saying he’s “very satisfied” with the manager’s performance despite the team’s 4-10 record. After the game, Valentine had a closed-door meeting in his office with Cherington, principal owner John Henry and team president Larry Lucchino.
“The players will always influence wins and losses more than anybody else,” Cherington said. “That’s no different here. He’s doing the best he can with the roster he has. It’ll get better. He knows that, and I know that. Along the way, if changes need to be made on the roster, that’s my responsibility.”
“We’re 4-10, and our pitching performance hasn’t been good. You can’t just hope something will get better. You have to look at things objectively and try to find ways to improve it. There’s more urgency to find ways to make it improve. There’s no one way to do that. We’ve got to look at all ways.”
Valentine was booed loudly during the Red Sox’s first homestand, especially during their five-game losing streak. In particular, his handling of the pitching staff has been scrutinized by fans and in the media.
Meanwhile, former manager Terry Francona received a standing ovation upon returning to Fenway Park on Friday for the ballpark’s 100th anniversary celebration.
However, Valentine said he doesn’t blame fans for expressing their displeasure or taking the team’s poor start out on him.
“I’m not satisfied with the job I did,” Valentine said. “I don’t need to hear from Ben or ownership or fans or anyone else. I need to do better. In every way.”
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