YankeesRedSox.com

It's funny how so many "experts" chime in on managerial decisions. Bobby Valentine has a record above .500 as a manger and he has led his team to the pennant. Is that good? Well Joe Torre and Terry Francona showed up in NY and Boston with sub-.500 records and zero pennants between them. They turned out to be pretty good hires.

IMHO only time will tell and all the prognosticating is pointless.

The thing that will be the most fun for me to watch will be the team's "clubhouse chemistry". Everything I have ever read or heard about Valentine is that the younger players love the guy while the veterans detest him. I would really love to see or read about how Valentine, Lackey and Beckett interact. THAT should be "interesting".

"Say Skip, we're goin on a real quick beer run, you wanna Bud or Bud Lite?" Uh, yep, should be a fun introduction. :-) Maybe Verducci will get a book deal out of it. LOL.

Why would you hire a guy who does not get along with veterans to coach a veteran team like the Red Sox? Wouldn't the better plan be to hire a guy with a personality like Torre or Francona and then deal with any bad apples quietly on a one-on-one basis?

I'm not sure the Japan experience has "matured" Valentine. It's quite hierarchical over there, and the players have to listen to the manager. He just may have an even bigger head now.

Part of me, of course, wants to see the Red Sox suffer. But given that it's hard not to like guys like Ortiz, Pedroia, Youkilis, Ellsbury, and Aceves, even I can't root for a total disaster.

Corey - The kinder, gentler approach typified by Francona failed. His players ran all over him. The local paper referred to it as the "inmates running the asylum". And who would be the one to deal with the head cases quietly? The GM? I don't think it can ever work that way. It's the manager's job to deal with player behavior and performance. They reportedly hired Valentine to restore order to the clubhouse. How long he'll last is something I'm going to watch.

And this Yankees fan enjoys watching Pedey, Youk, Capt Laptop, RockHead and UglyMouth suffer humiliating defeats and historic collapses. Yep, I sure do. Total disaster? I love 'em when they happen to the Sox.

2-4 year hire to try and win with current group and possibly get to next era. He won't be managing the Sox in spring training 2016

BL - you really think Valentine can last 4 years in Boston with Lucky Larry being his boss? I can see them getting along as well as did Billy Martin and Big George Steinbrenner. Going to be some great headlines in the local Bahstin papers. Bring on the entertainment !

maybe not 4, that is the longest IMO, maybe in the 3rd things get to the point where he would be gone but I do think it is a decent hire for the next 2 seasons with the talent on board.

Mitchell, I thought Bobby and Larry were buddies. That is to say we are seeing them at least start out as friends.

What happens from here we'll never know, but somehow I don't think it'll be their relationship that sours, rather Bobby's relationship with his players and/or GM.

Andy, my guess is that you're right about many things, they probably are buddies - but I suggest that this can easily and quickly change once a subordinate/superior element is added to a friendship. And yep, I agree that there, very probably, will be friction between BV and some of his players. Yep, it's time to "buckle up", as you put it.

I also think that BL is right in his assessment that BV is a good hire and there will be a net benefit to BV's presence in the short run. Your guys really needed some boundaries on their behaviors and BV is the guy to handle that.

yes, despite Schilling going all out to say it was a mistake hiring I think it will work for the next season or two.

Who knows, perhaps he has mellowed as well from the groucho days?