In the latest example of why Bobby Valentine was not a good fit for Boston, the Red Sox manager went off during a radio interview and told the host he’d punch him in the mouth.
Valentine was appearing on WEEI’s “The Big Show” and was asked by Glenn Ordway if he had checked out of the season. He didn’t respond kindly.
“What an embarrassing thing to say,” Valentine answered. “If I was there, I would punch you right in the mouth. How does that sound? Does that sound like I’ve checked out? Why would someone even … that’s something that a comic strip person would write.
“If someone’s here and watching me go out at 2 o’clock in the afternoon working with the young players, bringing in the right relief pitchers to get a win, putting on a hit and run when it’s necessary, talking with the guys after the game in the food room … how could someone in real life say that?”
Valentine described the current season — the Red Sox are 63-74 — as “lousy” and “miserable.” But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to return next season.
“This is what I chose to do. I think it’s been miserable, but it’s also been part of my life’s journey,” said Valentine. “You learn from misery.”
The Red Sox manager was also particularly incensed with the media for writing that he was late to a game after picking up his son from the airport.
“I shouldn’t have to explain that,” Valentine said. “That pisses me off. Whoever wrote that knew what happened. They knew that my son was coming to see me for the first time in this lousy season and that I got to see him on the road, and that his flight was late, and that I was waiting at the airport in San Francisco for his flight to come in, and that came in, I sent the lineup in and reported to my coaches that I was going to be a little late. For someone to say that I was late is an absolute disgrace to their integrity if they have any.”
Valentine has had difficulty getting along with his players from the start, and the players even vented to ownership about him. Things are so bad that he’s now having trouble composing himself in radio interviews. It’s becoming even more clear than before that Valentine is just not a good fit for Boston.
Audio from the interview is below (the checked out part comes around the 2:40 mark):
Forearm bash to Hardball Talk
