This Blog has been busy busy busy doing the SAHD thing, and won't have much in the next several days, but will be back to regular postings by the middle of next week. Thanks as always to the readers, you rule!
From Tim Kurkjian and ESPN to Nick Cafardo and The Boston Globe praise upon praise is being heaped upon Bobby Valentine for the way he's running Spring Training. Heck, even this Blog wanted to give three cheers to Bobby for attention to detail when he saw Mike Aviles properly back up a shot down the left field line that bounced back past the left fielder and throw out a runner trying to make it to 2B in the first NESN televised game. This showed the benefit of having the new Jet Blue Park contain the same field dimensions as Fenway, and Bobby V's knowledge is reportedly being passed along with gusto in spurts as he roves from station to station. But the fact remains, he's had one good run in all his MLB managing stops. Francona made the playoffs over and over, and brought home the most historic win in Sox history. Two World Series Titles in 8 years for our team has to go in the pantheon of incredible sports achievements in all Boston sports history.
But the time for Francona to go had come, the abruptness of his downfall was almost as astonishing as his incredible rise, and his weakness continues to show in his new ESPN gig. The back and forth with Bobby V, where Francona said announcing no beer in the clubhouse was PR, Bobby said Francona gets paid to say things I get paid to do things, and Francona backing off his comments, is typical Francona mushy backbone behavior. Francona's success was letting the boys play. This carefree attitude was personified by Manny Ramirez, and required utmost professionalism from the vast majority of the clubhouse. Sure the 2004 team was a bunch of idiots, but outside Millar and Ramirez those guys were about working hard and doing things the right way. Francona's hands-off approach maximized the best attributes of Damon, Nixon, Schilling, Mueller, and Ortiz, as well as Millar and Ramirez. The leaders led, the crazies were crazy, and the players in between like Foulke, were along for the ride. Lest we forget, Pedro's worst attribute also thrived in this situation. He almost blew up game 7 of the ALCS getting Francona to throw him in there for no reason in the late innings. With players like Pedroia, Youkilis, Lester and Papelbon he had more hard chargers to ride through the World Series in 2007, but cracks have showed ever since. Francona's whining about west coast road trips and interleague play did nothing but give his teams excuses to play poorly, and his anything goes approach led to lazy play and entitled players, the kind that lay down in the playoffs instead of stepping up.
Bobby V might not win anything, and the honeymoon period with the media is amusing to see. This Blog sees a similar meteoric rise in year 1 to Francona, but his micromanaging ways won't last long. And if the team struggles through April this could become a full on meltdown if things don't go well. But any pining for Francona should be put aside. He was the right person at the right time. Times changed, he didn't adapt.
Until next Week,
The SAHD
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