Maybe reporters are making way too much of the dynamic between Josh Beckett and Bobby Valentine before their new relationship even starts, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly concerned as a Red Sox fan. Beckett was said to be a malcontent in the Red Sox clubhouse last season. In fact, a number of Boston sources even believe he is partially responsible for driving Terry Francona out of town.
With that in mind, the history between Beckett and Valentine is a bit alarming. As you may know, Valentine ripped Beckett during a Sunday Night Baseball broadcast last season for taking too much time between pitches. It’s a complaint Beckett has heard from a number of people, but it doesn’t sound like he has completely gotten over hearing it from Bobby V.
“I did reach out to Josh, and he didn’t want me to say anything so I’m not going to say anything other than after he got through telling me how pissed off he was, we had a really good conversation,” Valentine said Wednesday according to WEEI.com. “I’m not going to say anything about it.”
Alas, Red Sox fans get their first glimpse of what life with Bobby V. is going to be like. Valentine wears his heart on his sleeve and is not very good at keeping issues in-house. Even if Beckett is still angry with him over the comments he made, it would probably be best if the new manager worked through the issue behind closed doors. Saying Beckett is still pissed about it might make him sound unreasonable and can be construed as throwing him under the bus.
Valentine has inherited a team of talented players with a poor reputation — a group which also was reportedly unhappy with his hiring. If Bobby V. is capable of keeping quiet, his best bet would probably be to keep the media in the dark more often than not.
