BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Red Sox may have already gotten what they were looking for from Bobby V.

In a move that had reverberated from Kenmore Square to the backyard of the rival New York Yankees, the Red Sox introduced Bobby Valentine as their new manager on Thursday, turning to him to lead the ballclub back to the playoffs and help Boston forget this season’s unprecedented September collapse.

“I am honored, I am humbled and I am pretty [darn] excited,” Valentine said during the news conference in a Fenway Park premium club. “It’s more than a special day. It’s the beginning of a life that’s going to extend beyond anything I thought I’d be doing. The talent level of the players we have in this organization is a gift to anyone, and I think I’m a receiver of this gift.

“I think we’re going to do this, man,” he said, smiling and turning to shake hands with general manager Ben Cherington. “And I really and truly appreciate this opportunity.”

The 61-year-old former Mets and Rangers manager agreed to a two-year deal with club options for 2014 and 2015. The news conference was attended by owner John Henry and his wife, by Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, by an entourage of friends from Stamford, Conn., by dozens of team employees and by about 100 members of the media, many of them from New York outlets that covered Valentine in his days with the Mets.

“There is a buzz,” Lucchino said, acknowledging that Valentine’s personality and his history in New York could enhance an already intense AL East rivalry with the Yankees. “I think it does add a little bit of kerosene to the fire.”

The event was catered — wraps were served, naturally, for the man who claims to have invented them. The director of public safety in Stamford, where he runs a restaurant and an athletic training facility, Valentine is also a cooking and ballroom dancing aficionado, the son-in-law of former major leaguer Ralph Branca and, most recently, an analyst on ESPN.

Valentine, who also guided the Chiba Lotte Marines to a 2005 championship, greeted one reporter in Japanese.

“Bobby’s a big personality,” Henry said. “I think that’s a plus.”

Valentine brings to Boston a reputation as a polarizing figure who wasn’t afraid to criticize his players publicly — something former Red Sox manager Terry Francona never did — and who bickered with his boss at the Mets. But he takes over a team with a bit of a reputation problem of its own: After going 7-20 in September and missing the playoffs by one game, the Red Sox have been hounded by reports that players drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse during games instead of sitting in the dugout to support their teammates.

“I didn’t see it first hand,” Valentine cautioned, before saying about the team what he could have said in his own defense: “Reputation is something other people think about you. Right now maybe this group of guys has a reputation that is not warranted. … I can tell you I look forward to working with this group and establishing a culture of excellence.”

Vowing to get to know the players personally first, Valentine said there was no single way to restore discipline to a clubhouse.

“I don’t have a Ten Commandments of Baseball that I’m going to recite to them,” he said.

Valentine took the Mets to the 2000 World Series, where they lost to the Yankees, but he was fired after a last-place finish led to clubhouse turmoil two years later. Depending on whom you believe, he was either a relentless self-promoter or honest to a fault.

“I think people who take the time to get to know me understand I have some qualities in my character that are OK,” he said. “I’m not a monster who breathes fire who some people refer to me as. I’m a guy, a regular human being with regular feelings.”

Valentine said that he had learned from his previous managerial jobs.

But one thing won’t change.

“I’m still going to get frustrated when things aren’t done in an excellent way,” he said. “I’m still going to get out early to try to fix everything in the world and I’m still going to go to bed [angry] that I didn’t do enough.”

Valentine was a late entry in Boston’s managerial search — at least publicly, as the Red Sox left him off their initial short list because he was in a visible position as an ESPN analyst at the time. Pete Mackanin, Sandy Alomar Jr., Dale Sveum, Torey Lovullo and Gene Lamont were also interviewed; Lamont was also a finalist.

“It was not a tightly ordered, linear process,” Lucchino said. “It never is.”

Cherington denied reports that Valentine was forced on him by Lucchino and Henry.

“It’s just not true,” said the new GM, who was promoted when Theo Epstein left to become president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. “I feel very strongly we found the right person in Bobby Valentine.”

Valentine said he didn’t allow himself to believe he could get the job until he received a text message from Cherington — pulling out his cellphone to read reporters the time: 8:37 a.m. on Nov. 29. “I would wake up at night thinking there’s a chance and then say, `Don’t go there. You’re going to get your heart broken,”‘ said Valentine, who was in Japan on a goodwill visit when he got the news.

Valentine paid homage to the team’s tradition by selecting the uniform No. 25, which was worn by his one-time roommate Tony Conigliaro. The former Red Sox outfielder’s career was cut short after he was hit in the face by Jack Hamilton’s fastball in 1967.

“I would gladly take it off to put it up on that wall,” Valentine said, pointing to the facade where the Red Sox retired numbers hang.

“I understand the rich tradition of baseball in this city, of sports in this community. I understand the rivalries this team has. And I understand the great talent on this team.”

Valentine said he got a taste of a Yankees rivalry with the Mets. But they only played six times a season in interleague play; the division opponents play 18 games in 2012.

“I’m really excited,” Valentine said. “I know the Yankees always have a team where you have to put your best foot forward when you’re playing them.

“I think we’re going to be able to match them,” he said. “It’s not going to be the best team that wins, but the team that plays the best.”

BOSTON – The Boston Red Sox may have already gotten what they were looking for from Bobby V.

In a move that had reverberated from Kenmore Square to the backyard of the rival New York Yankees, the Red Sox introduced Bobby Valentine as their new manager on Thursday, turning to him to lead the ballclub back to the playoffs and help Boston forget this season’s unprecedented September collapse.

“I am honoured, I am humbled and I am pretty (darn) excited,” Valentine said during the news conference in a Fenway Park premium club. “It’s more than a special day. It’s the beginning of a life that’s going to extend beyond anything I thought I’d be doing. The talent level of the players we have in this organization is a gift to anyone, and I think I’m a receiver of this gift.

“I think we’re going to do this, man,” he said, smiling and turning to shake hands with general manager Ben Cherington. “And I really and truly appreciate this opportunity.”

The 61-year-old former Mets and Rangers manager agreed to a two-year deal with club options for 2014 and 2015. The news conference was attended by owner John Henry and his wife, by Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino, by an entourage of friends from Stamford, Conn., by dozens of team employees and by about 100 members of the media, many of them from New York outlets that covered Valentine in his days with the Mets.

“There is a buzz,” Lucchino said, acknowledging that Valentine’s personality and his history in New York could enhance an already intense AL East rivalry with the Yankees. “I think it does add a little bit of kerosene to the fire.”

The event was catered — wraps were served, naturally, for the man who claims to have invented them. The director of public safety in Stamford, where he runs a restaurant and an athletic training facility, Valentine is also a cooking and ballroom dancing aficionado, the son-in-law of former major leaguer Ralph Branca and, most recently, an analyst on ESPN.

Valentine, who also guided the Chiba Lotte Marines to a 2005 championship, greeted one reporter in Japanese.

“Bobby’s a big personality,” Henry said. “I think that’s a plus.”

Valentine brings to Boston a reputation as a polarizing figure who wasn’t afraid to criticize his players publicly — something former Red Sox manager Terry Francona never did — and who bickered with his boss at the Mets. But he takes over a team with a bit of a reputation problem of its own: After going 7-20 in September and missing the playoffs by one game, the Red Sox have been hounded by reports that players drank beer and ate fried chicken in the clubhouse during games instead of sitting in the dugout to support their teammates.

“I didn’t see it first hand,” Valentine cautioned, before saying about the team what he could have said in his own defence: “Reputation is something other people think about you. Right now maybe this group of guys has a reputation that is not warranted. … I can tell you I look forward to working with this group and establishing a culture of excellence.”

Vowing to get to know the players personally first, Valentine said there was no single way to restore discipline to a clubhouse.

“I don’t have a Ten Commandments of Baseball that I’m going to recite to them,” he said.

Valentine took the Mets to the 2000 World Series, where they lost to the Yankees, but he was fired after a last-place finish led to clubhouse turmoil two years later. Depending on whom you believe, he was either a relentless self-promoter or honest to a fault.

“I think people who take the time to get to know me understand I have some qualities in my character that are OK,” he said. “I’m not a monster who breathes fire who some people refer to me as. I’m a guy, a regular human being with regular feelings.”

Valentine said that he had learned from his previous managerial jobs.

But one thing won’t change.

“I’m still going to get frustrated when things aren’t done in an excellent way,” he said. “I’m still going to get out early to try to fix everything in the world and I’m still going to go to bed (angry) that I didn’t do enough.”

Valentine was a late entry in Boston’s managerial search — at least publicly, as the Red Sox left him off their initial short list because he was in a visible position as an ESPN analyst at the time. Pete Mackanin, Sandy Alomar Jr., Dale Sveum, Torey Lovullo and Gene Lamont were also interviewed; Lamont was also a finalist.

“It was not a tightly ordered, linear process,” Lucchino said. “It never is.”

Cherington denied reports that Valentine was forced on him by Lucchino and Henry.

“It’s just not true,” said the new GM, who was promoted when Theo Epstein left to become president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. “I feel very strongly we found the right person in Bobby Valentine.”

Valentine said he didn’t allow himself to believe he could get the job until he received a text message from Cherington — pulling out his cellphone to read reporters the time: 8:37 a.m. on Nov. 29. “I would wake up at night thinking there’s a chance and then say, ‘Don’t go there. You’re going to get your heart broken,’” said Valentine, who was in Japan on a goodwill visit when he got the news.

Valentine paid homage to the team’s tradition by selecting the uniform No. 25, which was worn by his one-time roommate Tony Conigliaro. The former Red Sox outfielder’s career was cut short after he was hit in the face by Jack Hamilton’s fastball in 1967.

“I would gladly take it off to put it up on that wall,” Valentine said, pointing to the facade where the Red Sox retired numbers hang.

“I understand the rich tradition of baseball in this city, of sports in this community. I understand the rivalries this team has. And I understand the great talent on this team.”

Valentine said he got a taste of a Yankees rivalry with the Mets. But they only played six times a season in interleague play; the division opponents play 18 games in 2012.

“I’m really excited,” Valentine said. “I know the Yankees always have a team where you have to put your best foot forward when you’re playing them.

“I think we’re going to be able to match them,” he said. “It’s not going to be the best team that wins, but the team that plays the best.”

The Boston Red Sox have reportedly finished their exhaustive search for a manager to replace the beleaguered Terry Francona Wednesday by hiring ESPN analyst and former Texas Rangers and New York Mets skipper Bobby Valentine as their 45th helmsman in team history. The move is expected to be announced in a press conference on Thursday afternoon.

The Red Sox and new general manager Ben Cherington scoured dugouts throughout the majors to find the puzzle piece that will help put the Red Sox back together after what was a monumental collapse at the end of the 2011 season. They interviewed keen baseball minds like Pete Mackanin, the bench coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. They wooed Dale Sveum, whose meeting with team officials in Milwaukee must not have gone well since he ended up in Chicago as the Cubs’ head man. They considered the temperate and smooth Gene Lamont, who ended up being their second choice down the stretch.

The 2011 season in Boston was as volatile and disastrous as any in my major league memory. A 7-20 September highlighted by a complete collapse in the final game of the regular season against the Baltimore Orioles left the Sox on the outside of the playoff window looking in. But that’s only where the circus started. Since then, the almost comical indictment of their fried chicken-eating, beer-drinking starting pitching staff only served to throw ridicule on the team’s leader, Francona, and light the flame under what will obviously be a shake up to the Red Sox roster in the offseason. GM wunderkind Theo Epstein has already high-tailed it out of town to take on the challenge of ending another curse as architect of the Cubs. Francona was accused of losing the team due to his dealing with personal family issues and the toll it may have played on the man, let alone his managerial skills. Who knew a couple of drumsticks and a few Harpoons could cause such turmoil?

The answer is that no one knew, because for all intents and purposes, the whole situation was probably overblown. A group of pampered millionaires who were being raked over the coals in one of the toughest media towns on Earth decided to cruise to the finish line, and it manifested itself in chicken and beer.

Considering the Boston media and the payroll the organization consistently commits to developing World Series contending clubs, I question whether the spotlight on whoever dons the Boston B isn’t already bright enough without the disparagement of a new coach who, if history serves, will call them out on the carpet for putting a batting donut on the wrong way. Bobby Valentine has never been one to pull punches. He’s always been demonstrative, outspoken to a fault, at times misspoken to his own detriment. The man will be Ozzie Guillen without the need for subtitles. Before I even question the acumen of his managerial resume, I simply don’t believe that’s what this Red Sox team needs right now.

The new leadership in the Red Sox front office has to perceive the problems in that locker room in 2010 and ’11 and begin to weed them out. The nature of the core of this Red Sox team has already changed from the team that broke the curse in ’04 and reaffirmed it in ’07. The names Varitek, Ortiz, Papelbon, Lowell , Mueller and Millar are memories. This is Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) and Dustin Pedroia’s(notes) team. They have to lead and get the Carl Crawfords of the world to follow. The pitching staff is going to need some revamping, and despite the far reaching limits of their payroll, the youth of their staff is going to need to step up and the backend of the bullpen is going to need to be addressed with Jonathan Papelbon(notes) already out the door to Philadelphia .

If you were a free agent this offseason, would you now go rushing to Boston with all the instability there, considering they just hired a manager whose reputation is a stone buster? Perhaps the answer to that question is absolutely, if only the man’s managerial record were more impressive. Why is it that when a coach shows charisma enough to make him a viable television analyst his ability to lead other men suddenly skyrockets in the industry? Has Bobby Valentine changed that much since he was fired from the Mets in 2002?

In 15 years of managing in the majors, Valentine has a .510 winning percentage and one National League pennant with the 2000 Mets. When he lost his job with the Rangers in 1992, it took four years for another team to hire him. He hasn’t managed in the majors since 2002. Why is that? He managed for years in Japan and won a title with the Chiba Lotte Marines before he lost that job as well and came back to the States to work for ESPN.

Has Bobby Valentine changed that much? Have the faults that cost him two jobs and left him on the sidelines for nine years been corrected? Has he softened with age where the teaching skills he possesses will come to the forefront and he’ll leave all the dugout disguises and media malarkey behind? For a franchise that puts as much on the line to be a winner each year as the Boston Red Sox, I just can’t justify the risk that those answers are yes.

Valentine hails from Stamford, Connecticut . If you don’t know the geography of Connecticut you would think that it’s a New England town and Valentine will fit in well in Boston . But Stamford is tucked nicely into that little corner of the southwest part of the state that might as well be New York . From his days with the Mets, Valentine has been bathed in the Big Apple.

How much time do you think Red Sox Nation is going to give a New Yorker to right the ship?

SOURCE:

baseballreference.com

ESPN.com

Pete Lieber is a freelance writer and Philadelphia sports enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter at @Lieber14.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Just in case you need a few more turkeys on this holiday, Sports Illustrated has posted a slide show of its “2011 Turkeys of the Year.”

If you’re a member of Red Sox Nation, you don’t have to wonder who tops the list.

From the website:

Our parade of fowl bumblers starts with the Boston Red Sox, who staged one of the greatest collapses in baseball history by blowing a nine-game lead in the season’s final month. Among the culprits: Carl Crawford, who batted .255 following his $142 million free-agent signing, and starting pitchers Josh Beckett, John Lackey and Jon Lester, who were accused of eating fried chicken and drinking beer in the clubhouse during games.

The only question, I suppose, is why they did not simply post a team photo? No, the entry was not sponsored by Bud Light or Popeye’s Chicken. By the way, here’s the team’s unofficial season highlight video:

And who can forget former Fenway Park left fielder Manny Ramirez, who comes in at No. 13:?

Another case of Manny being Manny? After testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs — his second violation of MLB policy — the 39-year-old slugger opted to retire rather than serve a 100-game suspension. He hit 555 home runs during his prolific career, but may be better remembered for his wacky — and often inexplicable — behavior.

For Celtics and other basketball fans, SI honors both sides in the ongoing labor disptue at No. 30:

Taking a page from the NHL circa 2004, NBA owners and players squared off over a new collective bargaining agreement and ended up jeopardizing the entire 2011-12 season with an angry stalemate. While the owners dug in on their hard line and Commissioner David Stern issued ultimatums, the players union led by Executive Director Billy Hunter rejected a 50/50 revenue sharing deal that would have meant a seven percent cut, split into factions, and filed two antitrust lawsuits. Meanwhile a Poll Position telephone survey found that 76 percent Americans say they don’t miss the NBA.

The Bruins did not make the list – at least not directly. But they were involved for the No. 31 and 35 entries, both from the Stanley Cup Finals:

Falling one win shy of the first Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 41-year history did not sit well with the Canucks faithful, thousands of whom rioted in the streets of Vancouver after their team lost Game 7 of the Cup final, 4-0, at home to the Boston Bruins. Windows were smashed, stores looted, and cars set afire amid $1 million-plus in damage. At least 140 people were injured. Some “revelers” were later publicly identified after photos of them running amok were posted on the web. One, a 17-year-old water polo player at the University of Calgary, was suspended by his team.

During a scrum at the end of the first period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Canucks winger Alex Burrows appeared to put the bite on the finger of Bruins center Patrice Bergeron. The NHL later declined to suspend Burrows after reviewing the incident and finding “no conclusive evidence” of the chomp although Bergeron was seen wearing a bandage on his digit after the game.

And finally, the Patriots are represented with the final entry, No. 36 on the list and formerly No. 92 in your football program, Albert Haynesworth:

The former all-pro defensive tackle, a notorious $100 million free agent bust with the Washington Redskins, was given another chance by the New England Patriots, who acquired him for a fifth-round 2013 draft pick in July. But not even Bill Belichick’s vaunted redemption factory could wreak the desired effect. In six games, Haynesworth had two tackles and no sacks and was served with his release on Nov. 8. Now the Tampa Bay Bucs, who claimed him on waivers, will see if they can squeeze anything out of him. “The thing that I would think about Albert, the way his last three years have played out, is that he hates football,” Chris Cooley, his former Redskins teammate told CBS Washington.

I can hardly wait to see the magazine’s “naughty and nice list” for Christmas.

The Boston Red Sox offered salary
arbitration to designated hitter David Ortiz and right-handed
relief pitcher Dan Wheeler, General Manager Ben Cherington said
in a statement released by the team.

Free agents Ortiz, 36, and Wheeler, 33, have until Dec. 7
to accept or decline the offers. Since the team offered salary
arbitration, the Red Sox are eligible to receive two draft picks
for Ortiz — who is designated as a Type A free agent — if he
goes to another team.

Ortiz hit .309 with 29 home runs and 96 runs batted in
during 146 games with Boston last season. He finished fourth in
the American League in slugging percentage at .554 and on-base
percentage at .398. Ortiz earned $12.5 million this past season,
ESPN reported.

Wheeler was 2-2 with a 4.38 earned run average in 47 relief
appearances in his first season with the Major League Baseball
team.

The club decided against offering salary arbitration to
left-handed pitchers Erik Bedard and Trever Miller, right-handed
pitcher Tim Wakefield, outfielders J.D. Drew and Conor Jackson
and catcher Jason Varitek.

To contact the reporter on this story:
Nancy Kercheval in Washington at
nkercheval@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:
Michael Sillup at
msillup@bloomberg.net

The Boston Red Sox offered salary arbitration to
designated hitter David Ortiz and right-handed reliever Dan Wheeler.

They announced the moves before Wednesday’s deadline, also declining to offer
arbitration to catcher Jason Varitek, right-handed knuckleballer Tim
Wakefield, left-handed pitchers Erik Bedard and Trever Miller and outfielders
J.D. Drew and Conor Jackson.

Ortiz, 36, has played for the Red Sox since 2003 while Wheeler finished his
first season with the team.

The Sox are eligible to receive compensation for Ortiz, a Type A free agent,
and Wheeler, a Type B free agent. The players have until December 7 to accept
or decline that offer.

Varitek and Wakefield were cornerstones of the team that started a new winning
tradition for the Red Sox, but both are on the downside of their careers.

Varitek, 39, has played all 15 of his major league seasons in Boston and
Wakefield has pitched there since 1995, winning his 200th career game this
past season.

Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon, who signed with Philadelphia earlier
this month, was a Type A free agent and will yield Boston compensation.

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