Sports Cipher

Possibility of Bobby Valentino Getting Fired at the End of the Season

Ok, if you don’t already know, I am a Bobby Valentine fan. I’m impressed with how he came into the Boston Red Sox organization with the mission on getting them back on track. No one expected the former manager of a Japan team to come back to the States to work for a historic team like the Red Sox to do well. First they blame Bobby V for Kevin Youkilis’ trade. Youkilis is currently a Chicago White Sox 3B that has nothing nice to say about Bobby Valentine, blaming their estranged relationship on his departure. Next it was the lack of offense in the pitching department. Former pitching coach Bob McClure was dismissed from the team in hopes that they have found the problem to turn it around. It hasn’t and the Red Sox are still drowning, outhomered every series for a couple of weeks now. Now apparently the problem, as people may argue was the problem all along, is Bobby Valentine.

Boston Red Sox owner John W. Henry and general manager Ben Cherington are currently in Seattle.

“Nothing going on other than a bad losing streak,” Cherington wrote in an email. “No!” he wrote in answer to a question of whether he had gone to Seattle for that purpose.

The organization has to keep their options open right? The status of Bobby Valentine will not be expressed until after the season, which will be soon since the Red Sox MOST LIKELY will not head into the playoffs. I don’t know how mid-contract firing works. The 62-year old manager has a year left on his two-year contract he signed in December.

Bobby V and the Red Sox weren’t always in the dump. weren’t always performing horribly. July 31, they were 53-51. Since then they’ve been 9-22 and 11 games away from the wild card spot. Boston hasn’t been there since 1997. Great job Bobby Valentine.

A disappearing lineup is also another issue the Red Sox had to deal with. At the beginning of the season the Red Sox felt they had a solid lineup and where has it taken them? No where. As previously mentioned, Youkilis was traded to the White Sox. DH David Ortiz is out with an Achilles tendon, 1B Adrian Gonzalez, LF Carl Crawford, and P Josh Beckett were dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Youkilis’ replacement, Will Middlebrooks, is out for the season with a wrist injury.

I don’t want Bobby Valentine to get fired yet I also don’t think his future, with this historic team that’s fallen apart, is bright. Seattle must have a pretty good candidate waiting.

Photo credit: Sportsofboston.com