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http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/08/red-sox-mutiny-text-discord-with-bobby-valentine/1#.UCrpP-bCt-k

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/bobby-valentine-red-sox-mutiny-text-dustin-pedroia-larry-lucchino-john-henry-adrian-gonzalez-.html

It's never a good thing when the players don't want to play for you.  Maine might be spot on with his prediction that Bobby Valentine will be gone at the end of the season.

It was a bad hire from the start. Bobby V is a very good manager, but he is not right for Boston. The media and ownership are toxic.

That isn't to put all the blame on him. I don't care how poorly you handle a clubhouse, there is no reason why almost every player has been crap. Not Bobby's vault A-Gone has 13 Homeruns or Pedroia has no more power either. Lester and Beckett are also terrible.

I would get rid of him because he is a poor fit, but even if Francona was still there, I don't think the record would be much different.

Bobby V should be gone by the end of the season.  I don't know a single Sox fan that is pleased with his hiring, and he appears to be ruining the team.

^^This is the same ownership group which took a franchise out of the toilet, brought it back from the dead, revived Fenway and brought Boston two World Series titles.  I would hold off on the "toxic" talk with the ownership group.  Boston has very solid owners.  The Red Sox have had as successful a prior ten years as any franchise in sports, much less baseball - they have simply had a correction the past couple of years (which was bound to happen).

Maybe I should say how they have BECOME toxic, as they do have an excellent track record as you noted. Between how they handled Theo and Francona and the media slandering, it doesn't seem like the same group that brought 2 titles to Boston.

I still think they can rebound next year, because even with them "imploding", they are only 5 games under .500 in the toughest division in baseball. It's certainly not what they want, but ESPN should stop making them out to be the Astros of the AL.

The question is, who can manage this team to another title?

Agreed.

But very fickle fans and a rabid sports media when things aren't going well.

(Just ask Bill Buckner.)

Is it true the fans finally decided to forgive Buckner after the Red Sox won the 2004 Series and he told them to go fuck themselves?

Absolutely not true.

In 1990 he returned to the Red Sox and recieved a standing ovation from the crowd.

After the Red Sox won the 2007 WS he was invited to throw out the first pitch in 2008 when they unravled the banner and recieved a very long standing ovation from the crowd.  After the game he was asked about forgiveness, and said his comments indicated he never felt the fans were the problem so there was no reason for forgiveness per se.  He did say he had since forgiven the media which he blamed for the hostility.

I think the current problem with the red sox is the same, the fans for the most part aren't going overboard, but the sports media is doing its darnest to stir up trouble and make it seem like everyone in Boston has a death wish for the owners/manager. 

The Boston sports media is very bad and extremely hostile to the home teams.  For example:  It was a local paper (the Boston Herald) that completely fabricated the story about the Patriots video taping the Rams practices and published it the day before the superbowl during a year in which the Patriots were already under heavy scruity for actually video taping DC during games. 

While the local media does have a few favorites that get positive press almost 100% of the time (e.g. Brady and Welker) for the most part the local press is more hostile to the home team than you will find in most sports towns.   

^^ April,1990.  I was actually at that game.  Billy had bounced around a little after Boston released him in 1987 and came back to Boston as a FA in 1990.  The crowd gave him a standing O during player introductions.  It was pretty cool. 

Boston is 17-28 in starts by Beckett and Lester. In most other years, it's 28-17 and that puts them in first place or close to it. Losing breeds drama, mainly media manufactured drama. I get the feeling if those two were better, we wouldn't hear about Bobby V being hated.

Maybe not, but Tito's shoes were pretty large to fill no matter what...

Now that whole texting mess is being blamed on recently traded Kelly Shoppach who denies he had anything to do with it.

Funny - this sounds like a familiar story...

Update.  Looks like Bobby Valentine was handed a pink slip yesterday.  Now what?

Now they rebuild with a mixture of drafting and smart free agent spending. They cleared a ton of payroll because the Dodgers have a complete imbecile for a GM. Maybe a new manager and culture will do them good. After all, Jon Lester just died this season for no apparent reason and Buchholz forgot how to pitch as well. They both can be excellent next year without major tinkering. Same thing with Melancon and Aceves. They didn't just get hurt, they completely underachieved.

John Farrell. The pitching staff needs John Farrell back. They've been awful since he left

Daisuke is gone too, so that will help them focus on a replacement rather than wait for him to get healthy/stop sucking. Complete disaster signing for them. Once Yu Darvish goes up in flames too, the bidding process for Japanese pitchers is going to go away.