Boston Red Sox Blog and Schedule with MLB News » terry-francona

Valentine to Run Red Sox?

GeranXT — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:57:57 +0000

[unable to retrieve full-text content]BOSTON – When Terry Francona left the Boston Red Sox , he said they needed “a new voice” in the manager’s office. They’ve certainly chosen a brash one.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

Bobby Valentine to take Red Sox reins

suzanneberkley — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:41:14 +0000

Bobby Valentine will likely be the next manager of the Boston Red Sox. An announcement about Valentine is expected Thursday.

Bobby Valentine has accepted the job as new manager of the Boston Red Sox, U.S. media reported on Tuesday.

Skip to next paragraph

Valentine replaces Terry Francona who left the club in September, after the Red Sox had suffered one of the greatest late-season collapses witnessed in Major League Baseball.

Neither Valentine nor the Red Sox would immediately confirm the agreement but local media, including ESPN where Valentine worked as a sports analyst, said the deal had been made.

Boston.com sports writer Nick Cafardo notes that with Bobby Valentine:

“The Sox stuck their necks out a little and thought outside the box. They are taking somewhat of a chance. They recognized that desperate times need desperate measures.

But in Valentine, they know they’re getting passion, one of the best in-game managers, and a guy who will speak his mind. Intellectually, he fits what they like.”

ESPN said Valentine was currently in Japan and would return to America to be formally introduced as the new manager on Thursday.

The 61-year-old played in the Major Leagues between 1969 and 1979 before moving into management, with spells at the Texas Rangers and the New York Mets as well as periods coaching in Japan.

He last managed in the Major Leagues at the Mets, leaving in 2002.

Valentine left his last management job at Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines in 2009 and began work as an expert television commentator before throwing his hat into the ring for the Red Sox job.

He takes over from Francona, who led the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2004 — ending a championship drought dating back to 1918 – and again in 2007.

Leading the American League East by nine games at the start of the month, the Red Sox lost 20 of their last 27 games to miss out on the playoffs, earning the dubious distinction of the most awful final-month crash, a misery compounded by their status as pre-season favorites after a massive spending spree and a $161 million payroll.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Boston Red Sox ‘in talks’ to appoint Bobby Valentine as manager

GlocKLado — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:36:16 +0000

Terry Francona, who left the Boston Red Sox in September, is set to be succeeded by Bobby Valentine. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/AP

Bobby Valentine has accepted the job as new manager of the Boston Red Sox, US media reported on Tuesday.

Valentine replaces Terry Francona, who left the club in September after the Red Sox had suffered one of the greatest late-season collapses witnessed in Major League Baseball.

Neither Valentine nor the Red Sox would immediately confirm the agreement but local media, including ESPN, where Valentine worked as a sports analyst, said the deal had been made.

ESPN said Valentine was currently in Japan and would return to America to be formally introduced as the new manager on Thursday.

The 61-year-old played in the Major Leagues between 1969 and 1979 before moving into management, with spells at the Texas Rangers and the New York Mets as well as periods coaching in Japan.

He last managed in the major leagues at the Mets, leaving in 2002.

Valentine left his last management job at Japan’s Chiba Lotte Marines in 2009 and began work as an expert television commentator before throwing his hat into the ring for the Red Sox job.

He takes over from Francona, who led the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2004 – ending a championship drought dating back to 1918 – and again in 2007.

If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it.

BoSox finalists: Valentine, Lamont

WordPress — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 06:08:51 +0000

Updated Nov 26, 2011 7:58 PM ET

The Boston Red Sox have narrowed their managerial search to two candidates — Bobby Valentine and Gene Lamont.

The team is expected to announce Valentine or Lamont as its next manager within the next week, a major league source confirmed to FOXSports.com.

The organization has spent nearly two months looking for the successor to Terry Francona, who won two World Series titles in eight years.

Valentine, currently an ESPN analyst, has managed in the major leagues for 15 seasons, most recently with the New York Mets in 2002. Lamont, the third-base coach with the Detroit Tigers, managed the Chicago White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates for four seasons each.

The Red Sox attempted to engage the Toronto Blue Jays in discussions about acquiring Toronto manager John Farrell, who has two years left on his contract, but those talks failed to progress.

Baseball saw one managerial “trade” this offseason, with Ozzie Guillen going from the White Sox to the Miami Marlins in exchange for two minor leaguers.

The Red Sox previously interviewed Philadelphia bench coach Pete Mackanin, Cleveland bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. and Toronto first-base coach Torey Lovullo, but they no longer are under consideration.

Dale Sveum met with Red Sox officials multiple times before accepting an offer to manage the Chicago Cubs.

Feel free to leave your comments below.

Is Bobby Valentine about to become manager of the Red Sox?

Laspketuapsewsbalk — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:39:46 +0000

Multiple media sources say Bobby Valentine has emerged as the favorite to succeed Terry Francona as manager of the Boston Red Sox. The former manager of the Texas Rangers and New York Mets is scheduled to meet Monday with general manager Ben Cherington in what some observers believe is only a formality.

Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe wrote:

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.

According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo!Sports:

If Cherington approves, sources said Sunday, Valentine in all likelihood will be the Red Sox’s next manager.

Wrote Tyler Kepner of the New York Times:

There is an increasing sense around baseball that the job may be his (Valentine’s) to lose. The Red Sox have been canvassing the game for opinions on Valentine.

Passan also alluded to some of the behind-the-scenes Fenway intrigue:

The Red Sox’s seeming schizophrenia – four of the five candidates they have interviewed came without appreciable major league managing experience, and Valentine would arrive with 15 seasons plus another six in Japan – does nothing to dispel the notion of Cherington as a figurehead. This is not fair to him. Longtime colleagues as well as executives from other teams and agents believe him to be eminently capable of running the team. Epstein’s departure only emboldened Lucchino’s grasp on the larger pieces of Boston’s day-to-day operations.

Epstein, of course, is Theo Epstein, who left his post as general manager of the Sox to become president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs. One of his first official acts was to hire Dale Sveum as manager. Sveum, by coincidence, is the only managerial candidate who was interviewed twice by the Sox.

Also interviewed by the Sox were Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont, and Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo.

One person who thinks hiring Valentine would be a bad move for the Red Sox is Bill Price of the New York Daily News:

Plenty has changed – mostly for the worst – in baseball since Bobby V. last managed. The players, especially the star players, have more power than ever before, and a guy like Bobby V., who likes to tweak his players and certainly doesn’t like to pull punches, needs to adapt … You wonder if this could backfire on the Red Sox. Valentine had his moments with the Mets, but imagine how volatile the situation could be in Boston, especially on the heels of this season’s disaster.

Subscribe to our feed!.

Source: Valentine, Red Sox will meet Monday

dyexneereuh — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 01:14:51 +0000

Updated: November 20, 2011, 4:00 PM ET

Bobby Valentine will meet with the Boston Red Sox Monday to discuss the team’s managerial vacancy, a source close to the former Texas Rangers and New York Mets manager told ESPN on Sunday afternoon.

The 61-year-old Valentine, who is an ESPN analyst, has emerged as a possible front-runner for the Red Sox job after Boston elected not to offer a job to Dale Sveum, who on Friday became manager of the Chicago Cubs. Sveum was the only candidate on general manager Ben Cherington’s publicly announced list of bidders for the job to interview twice, but Cherington has since acknowledged there is at least one other candidate, who has been identified as Valentine, and perhaps more.

More On The Red Sox

Gordon Edes and the rest of the ESPNBoston.com team have the Red Sox covered for you. Blog

Valentine had a conversation with Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino in 2003, before Terry Francona was hired. During that process, Valentine also had come highly recommended to Red Sox majority owner John W. Henry by longtime Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda.

While in Japan, Valentine also worked with the Red Sox after they established a working agreement with Chiba Lotte in 2007.

The Red Sox had initially hoped to hire a new manager before Thanksgiving, but before leaving for the Dominican Republic, Cherington acknowledged that might not happen. Cherington went to the Dominican to scout Cuban phenom Yeonis Cespedes and make changes in the team’s international department.

The Red Sox’s search for a new manager, begun while Theo Epstein was still general manager, started after Sept. 30, when the team announced that it was not exercising the two-year contract option it held on Francona.

The Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox, Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals all have made managerial hires since the end of the season. The Red Sox’s position remains the only one unfilled.

Information from ESPNBoston.com’s Gordon Edes contributed to this report.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Valentine would ‘be honored’ to talk with Red Sox about vacant manager’s position.

notebookkk — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:53:08 +0000

The former manager of the New York Mets and Texas Rangers said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that “I hope that there’d be a plan to give me an opportunity to meet” with the owners.

Foxsports.com reported that Valentine has met with at least one owner and will meet with others. Majority owner John Henry did not return an email Friday seeking comment. Team president and part owner Larry Lucchino and Valentine, an ESPN analyst, participated on Nov. 3 in Hartford in a program put on by the World Affairs Council on the global rise in the popularity of baseball

At the time, both said they hadn’t discussed the job with each other.

“He’s a great man and a great manager and he has a colorful and successful history, so his name inevitably comes up in this day and age,” Lucchino said.

Valentine led the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000 when they lost to the New York Yankees. He was fired by the Mets after the 2002 season. He managed in Japan from 2004-09, winning the Japan Series in 2005 with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

“I have a great job, and I wouldn’t insult my employers by saying I’m interested in another job,” Valentine said at the Hartford event two weeks ago. “I have two more years on my contract with ESPN and I’m very thankful for that.”

The Red Sox are seeking a replacement for Terry Francona, who left Sept. 30, two days after a loss in the regular-season finale left them out of the playoffs. They’ve interviewed Philadelphia bench coach Pete Mackanin, Milwaukee hitting coach Dale Sveum, Cleveland first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Toronto first-base coach Torey Lovullo and Detroit third-base coach Gene Lamont.

Sveum was hired as manager of the Chicago Cubs on Thursday.

The energetic, experienced Valentine would be a departure from that largely unproven group. Lamont is the only one of the five with major league managerial experience.

The addition of Valentine to the list of candidates increases the likelihood that the Red Sox won’t announce a manager before Thanksgiving.

On Thursday, Cherington and his assistant, Mike Hazen, left the general managers’ meetings in Milwaukee for the Dominican Republic, where they planned to scout players.

The Red Sox didn’t rush to hire a manager after Grady Little was fired following the 2003 season. Francona was hired on Dec. 4 and, in his first season, led the Red Sox to their first World Series championship in 86 years.

Leave your comments on the news below.

Lamont Last On List For Red Sox Manger Interviews

alcotreronet — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:09:33 +0000

Lamont last to interview for Red Sox manager job

(AP Photo/Bizuayehu Tesfaye)

By JIMMY GOLEN

AP Sports Writer

BOSTON (AP) It’s not as if Gene Lamont suddenly decided he wanted to manage again.

“It’s kind of a burning desire. It always has been,” Lamont, who hasn’t managed in 12 years, told reporters at Fenway Park on Saturday after interviewing for the job as Terry Francona’s replacement with the Red Sox. “Baseball is a passion.”

Lamont was the fifth and – for now – final candidate to interview for the Boston managerial job, following Torey Lovullo, Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum and Sandy Alomar Jr. General manager Ben Cherington said he hopes to narrow the field and talk to the finalists next week at the GM meetings in Milwaukee, with the goal of making a hire by Thanksgiving.

“All five guys, I could envision being the manager of the Boston Red Sox,” Cherington said. “We’ve got to pick the right one.”

Lamont, who turns 65 on Christmas Day, is the only one of the candidates who has had a full-time managing job; he managed the Chicago White Sox from 1992-95 and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1997-2000. Waiting 12 years for another shot wasn’t his idea.

“I’ve wanted to manage all along,” he said. “I guess I just didn’t toot my horn enough. I didn’t necessarily do that for this, either. But I told them: `Every game I watch, I manage.’ If there’s a better opportunity than this, I don’t know where it would be.”

The Red Sox have been looking for a manager since parting ways with Francona when the team’s 7-20 September record left it out of the playoffs for the second straight year. Like the other candidates, Lamont was asked by reporters how he would heal the ballclub after the season disintegrated amid allegations of beer-drinking and chicken-eating in the clubhouse during games.

“I think I have the presence because I have managed. But you have to show them,” said Lamont, who was 48 games over .500 with the White Sox and 57 games under with the Pirates.

“Me managing in Pittsburgh, I don’t think that gives me a lot of presence,” he added with a smile.

Lamont was added to Boston’s short list when Cherington said he wanted to have at least one candidate with major-league experience. Lamont, who has been the third base coach for Detroit since 2006, said he would probably handle games like current Tigers manager Jim Leyland.

But he brings a different personality than his gruff and sometimes hard-edged boss.

“I think I’ve learned a lot from him. I think he’s the best,” Lamont said. “But they’re not … getting another Jim Leyland. They’re getting Gene Lamont.”

Lamont was the Red Sox third-base coach in 2001, when Jimy Williams was fired. Cherington said he didn’t have much interaction with Lamont back then, but he was pleasantly surprised with how well they hit it off on Saturday.

“He has a strong voice. He’s confident in his opinion,” Cherington said. “All the things he’s done give him a strong voice.”

Updated November 12, 2011

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Gene Lamont last to interview for Red Sox manager job

Paishiomo — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 03:07:37 +0000

The Boston Red Sox [team stats] are interviewing Gene Lamont for their managerial opening.

The former Pittsburgh Pirates and Chicago White Sox manager is the last of five candidates scheduled to interview. New Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington has already brought in Torey Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr., Pete Mackanin and Dale Sveum.

The Red Sox have been looking for a manager since parting ways with Terry Francona after the team’s 7-20 record in September left it out of the playoffs for the second straight year.

Lamont has been the third base coach for the Detroit Tigers since 2006. He also had that job with Boston in 2001.

He managed the White Sox from 1992-95 and Pittsburgh Pirates from 1997-2000.

Thanks for reading! .

Sox Finish Manager Interviews

WofHoinginy — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 02:42:06 +0000

POSTED: 4:27 pm EST November 12, 2011
UPDATED: 9:51 pm EST November 12, 2011

BOSTON — It’s not as if Gene Lamont suddenly decided he wanted to manage again.”It’s kind of a burning desire. It always has been,” Lamont, who hasn’t managed in 12 years, told reporters at Fenway Park on Saturday after interviewing for the job as Terry Francona’s replacement with the Red Sox. “Baseball is a passion.”Lamont was the fifth and — for now — final candidate to interview for the Boston managerial job, following Torey Lovullo, Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum and Sandy Alomar Jr. General manager Ben Cherington said he hopes to narrow the field and talk to the finalists next week at the GM meetings in Milwaukee, with the goal of making a hire by Thanksgiving.”All five guys, I could envision being the manager of the Boston Red Sox,” Cherington said. “We’ve got to pick the right one.”Lamont, who turns 65 on Christmas Day, is the only one of the candidates who has had a full-time managing job; he managed the Chicago White Sox from 1992-95 and the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1997-2000. Waiting 12 years for another shot wasn’t his idea.”I’ve wanted to manage all along,” he said. “I guess I just didn’t toot my horn enough. I didn’t necessarily do that for this, either. But I told them: ‘Every game I watch, I manage.’ If there’s a better opportunity than this, I don’t know where it would be.”The Red Sox have been looking for a manager since parting ways with Francona when the team’s 7-20 September record left it out of the playoffs for the second straight year. Like the other candidates, Lamont was asked by reporters how he would heal the ballclub after the season disintegrated amid allegations of beer-drinking and chicken-eating in the clubhouse during games.”I think I have the presence because I have managed. But you have to show them,” said Lamont, who was 48 games over .500 with the White Sox and 57 games under with the Pirates.”Me managing in Pittsburgh, I don’t think that gives me a lot of presence,” he added with a smile.Lamont was added to Boston’s short list when Cherington said he wanted to have at least one candidate with major-league experience. Lamont, who has been the third base coach for Detroit since 2006, said he would probably handle games like current Tigers manager Jim Leyland.But he brings a different personality than his gruff and sometimes hard-edged boss.”I think I’ve learned a lot from him. I think he’s the best,” Lamont said. “But they’re not … getting another Jim Leyland. They’re getting Gene Lamont.”Lamont was the Red Sox third-base coach in 2001, when Jimy Williams was fired. Cherington said he didn’t have much interaction with Lamont back then, but he was pleasantly surprised with how well they hit it off on Saturday.”He has a strong voice. He’s confident in his opinion,” Cherington said. “All the things he’s done give him a strong voice.”

What do you guys think about this.

Lamont last to interview for Red Sox manager job

FreekingDelphina — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 02:15:19 +0000

By JIMMY GOLEN

updated 6:41 p.m. ET Nov. 12, 2011

BOSTON – It’s not as if Gene Lamont suddenly decided he wanted to manage again.

Lamont was the fifth and — for now — final candidate to interview for the Boston managerial job, following Torey Lovullo, Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum and Sandy Alomar Jr. General manager Ben Cherington said he hopes to narrow the field and talk to the finalists next week at the GM meetings in Milwaukee, with the goal of making a hire by Thanksgiving.

“All five guys, I could envision being the manager of the Boston Red Sox,” Cherington said. “We’ve got to pick the right one.”

“I’ve wanted to manage all along,” he said. “I guess I just didn’t toot my horn enough. I didn’t necessarily do that for this, either. But I told them: ‘Every game I watch, I manage.’ If there’s a better opportunity than this, I don’t know where it would be.”

“I think I have the presence because I have managed. But you have to show them,” said Lamont, who was 48 games over .500 with the White Sox and 57 games under with the Pirates.

“Me managing in Pittsburgh, I don’t think that gives me a lot of presence,” he added with a smile.

But he brings a different personality than his gruff and sometimes hard-edged boss.

“I think I’ve learned a lot from him. I think he’s the best,” Lamont said. “But they’re not … getting another Jim Leyland. They’re getting Gene Lamont.”

“He has a strong voice. He’s confident in his opinion,” Cherington said. “All the things he’s done give him a strong voice.”

More news

‘The boys did a great job’

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos embraced investigators who planned his rescue and said he had wondered whether he would survive a two-day kidnapping ordeal.

Thanks for reading! .

Sandy Alomar Jr interviews for Red Sox manager job

ZapataVRachel — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:11:30 +0000

BOSTON (AP)—Sandy Alomar Jr. is interviewing for the Boston Red Sox
manager’s job.

Alomar was scheduled to meet with reporters on Wednesday night after a day
of talking with Red Sox officials. He’s the third to interview for the job,
after Pete Mackanin and Dale Sveum. Mike Maddux withdrew his name from
consideration.

The job opened when the team parted ways with Terry Francona after eight
years and two World Series championships. The new manager will work with new
general manager Ben Cherington to rebuild after this season’s unprecedented
September collapse.

Also scheduled to interview are Torey Lovullo and Gene Lamont.

If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it.

Red Sox Freeze Ticket Prices for 2012 MLB Season After September Collapse

mimarooky — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:52:44 +0000

The Boston Red Sox said they wouldn’t
raise ticket prices for 2012 after the team lost a nine-game
lead for a playoff spot in the final month of the Major League
Baseball season.

“Many in Red Sox Nation have experienced economic
difficulties, and every fan has gone through some trying times -
- particularly at the end of the 2011 season — as the team fell
short of our goal of reaching the postseason,” team President
Larry Lucchino said in an e-mailed statement. “The
decision to hold ticket prices next season is just one of many
ways we hope to show our gratitude.”

The team parted ways with manager Terry Francona, who led
Boston to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007, after the season
and let General Manager Theo Epstein leave the team for a job
with the Chicago Cubs.

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

What do you guys think about this.

Maddux won’t seek Sox manager job

kinommanka — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:03:26 +0000

BOSTON (AP) — Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux has withdrawn from consideration for the manager’s job with the Boston Red Sox.

He had been scheduled for an interview Tuesday, but Boston general manager Ben Cherington announced Monday that Maddux had withdrawn. The job opened when Terry Francona left following the team’s epic collapse in September, when it went 7-20 and missed the playoffs.

Maddux pitched for nine teams, including the Red Sox, in a 15-year career that ended in 2000. He became pitching coach of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2003, then took the same job with Texas before the 2009 season.

The Red Sox already have interviewed Philadelphia bench coach Pete Mackanin and Milwaukee hitting coach Dale Sveum. They plan to interview Cleveland bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr.

Maddux, also a candidate for the Chicago Cubs managerial opening, said in a statement it was a family decision that led him to withdraw from consideration.

“My wife and two daughters are together in the same state for the first time in three years and words cannot describe my happiness,” he said. “The game of baseball has many sacrifices but being apart from family is the toughest. I feel there is too much distance between the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Boston to see my family as much as I’d enjoy.

“Again, I thank Ben Cherington and the Boston Red Sox for the flattery, honor, and compliment of considering me for their position.”

Comment Below!.

Rangers’ Maddux won’t seek Red Sox skipper job

Ancennynoli — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:47:47 +0000

BOSTON — Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux has withdrawn from consideration for the manager’s job with the Boston Red Sox.

Maddux pitched for nine teams, including the Red Sox, in a 15-year career that ended in 2000. He became pitching coach of the Brewers in 2003, then took the same job with Texas before the 2009 season.

The Red Sox already have interviewed Philadelphia bench coach Pete Mackanin and Milwaukee hitting coach Dale Sveum. They plan to interview Cleveland bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr.

Maddux, also a candidate for the Cubs managerial opening, said in a statement it was a family decision that led him to withdraw from consideration.

“Again, I thank Ben Cherington and the Boston Red Sox for the flattery, honor, and compliment of considering me for their position.”

Gotta run!.