Boston Red Sox: Bobby Valentine's Brash Personality Is Perfect for Beantown

Bobby Valentine's style may not make him a lot of fans in Boston, but he is a perfect fit for what the Red Sox need right now. 

The controversial manager made headlines over the weekend when he called out Kevin Youkilis for a perceived lack of interest, physical or mental, in the game. 

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I don't think he's as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason. But [on Saturday] it seemed, you know, he's seeing the ball well, got those two walks, got his on-base percentage up higher than his batting average, which is always a good thing, and he'll move on from there.

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Youkilis was clearly not thrilled with the comments, and said as much to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal. 

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I go out every day and play as hard as I can -- take every ground ball in the morning, take every at-bat like it's my last. I don't think my game has changed at all. I still get upset with myself. I still get mad. That's just not how I go about the game of baseball.

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He also said that he talked with Valentine early-Monday but declined to say what was said.

Dustin Pedroia was quick to say that the way Valentine went about criticizing Youkilis was not something the team wanted to see, according to Mike Petraglia of WEEI. 

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Pedroia on BobbyV criticism of Youk "That's not the way we do things around here" #RedSox

— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) April 16, 2012"

While that may not be the way the Red Sox are used to doing things, Valentine's personality, cockiness and abrasive attitude will do well in Boston. 

The front office knew exactly what it was doing when Valentine was hired. He is not someone who is going to shy away from an opinion. 

Everyone was berating this team, unjustly, for what happened at the end of last season with "Chicken- & Beer-Gate." They needed an authoritarian who was not going to avoid telling everything as he sees it. 

Valentine's comments were really not that inflammatory. We have seen coaches and managers do it all the time to try and motivate a player. It is childish, but they don't say it unless they believe someone can handle it. 

If the Red Sox wanted a manager who will cater to what the players want, they would have kept Terry Francona. He was one of the best managers in the game, but since there was a perceived lack of institutional control the team felt it had to make a move. 

Hiring Valentine was another PR move, but not one that had everyone jumping for joy. He has always been a confrontational manager. It is how he motivates his players. He doesn't try to hold their hands; he is going to tell it exactly like it is. 

Boston hasn't had someone like that in a long time. If the players on the team right now aren't strong enough to deal with it, that is their problem. 

Despite what some might say, Valentine is not an idiot. He knows exactly what he is doing. Youkilis is one of the most important players for the Red Sox this season. He has to stay healthy and put up the numbers he did from 2007-2010, when he averaged nearly 23 home runs, an on-base percentage close to .400. 

Give Valentine time to make his mark on the Red Sox just before dismissing him as the worst thing to happen to this franchise since selling Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. 

As long as the Red Sox are winning, which they are right now, no one cares what Valentine says publicly. 

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