Bobby Valentine: A Look Back at the Other Managers the Boston Red Sox Could Have

Bobby Valentine has been working hard to settle into his new role as the manager of the Boston Red Sox. He has experienced a bit of a rocky start on and off the field after publicly criticizing the performance of one of his star players while his team struggles to keep pace in the standings. The veteran manager has found it challenging to both succeed Terry Francona, the most successful manager in Red Sox history, and pick up the pieces of last September's collapse. Ben Cherington picked Valentine out of a slew of candidates. Because it's the nature of Red Sox fans to think about what could have been, let's take a look back at the other candidates who were in the running for his position. 

Torey Lovullo

Because of his history with the Red Sox organization, it came as no surprise that Torey Lovullo was called in to interview for the manager's position. The then-46 year-old managed the Pawtucket Red Sox in 2010 before leaving to become first base coach for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011. He was a journeyman during his playing career as an infielder, playing for seven different teams, including the Yankees, from 1987-1999. Although he had no major league managerial experience, Blue Jays manager and former Red Sox pitching coach, John Farrell, praised Lovullo's leadership skills, saying that his "ability and willingness to listen, teach and communicate enable him to connect with many different types of people in order to build relationships." These are all qualities that the Red Sox were looking for in a manager and hearing this from a former Sox staff member who knows how it's done in Boston helps to make the case that Lovullo would have been a good fit. It's likely that he would have been, and he would have garnered respect from the players for his patient managing style. But the Sox needed a manager who had been around the block a few times and could hit the ground running rather than taking the time to figure out how to handle himself in this high-profile position. Lovullo's lack of experience with managing a team at this level was his downfall, but he will no doubt make a good manager in the Major Leagues one day.  

Sandy Alomar Jr.

When he walked into Fenway Park for his interview, everything about Sandy Alomar Jr. made him seem like the perfect candidate to manage the Red Sox. He was a six-time All-Star in his 20 seasons as a catcher in the majors. He retired in 2007, and is currently the bench coach for the Cleveland Indians. He has been around baseball all of his life; his father is former player Sandy Alomar Sr. and his brother Roberto is a Hall of Famer. But this Alomar lacked one crucial detail on his resume: experience. He had never managed a game before--at any level. Although Alomar declared himself "prepared to manage a major league team," and Cherington referred to him as "an impressive guy," his inexperience as a manager would have been a liability to the team's performance, because he would have needed to figure out his managing style and hone his leadership skills before he could do any good for the team, and there was just no time for that. 

Pete Mackanin

Pete Mackanin had experience managing in the majors, unlike the last two men, and his confidence was apparent when he showed up for his interview. His classy pocket square and his past as a successful coach gave the impression that he could bring a mixture of panache and professionalism to the job. In 2007, he became the interim manager of the Reds, who, at the time had the worst record in the league, and led the team to a point when their record was 41-32. In his nine-year career as an infielder, Mackanin played for the Rangers, Expos, Phillies, and Twins before he retired after the 1981 season. In 1997, he began a four-year stint as the Expos' third base coach before he went on to manage in the minor leagues. Most recently, he was a scout and interim manager for the Reds before going on to serve as a bench coach for the Phillies. Mackanin would have been a smart choice for this position, because his extensive background in coaching and guiding teams in the right direction would have translated well to rebuilding the Red Sox. He also gets the award for most fashionable candidate. 

Dale Sveum

The familiar face of Dale Sveum brought back memories of Red Sox players running home as he waved them in as the third base coach during the exciting 2004 season. He was well-liked with the Sox and his time with the team gives him the advantage of knowing exactly how things work in the organization. This, along with his experience as a player from 1986-1999 and his time as the interim manager of the Brewers in 2008, would have made him effective in this role right away. He ended up accepting an offer to manage the Cubs.

Gene Lamont

Gene Lamont, the most experienced of the candidates, looked like a shoe-in for the manager's position. He's been in baseball his whole life, and came to his interview with eight years worth of big league managerial experience. He managed the White Sox from 1992-1995 and the Pirates from 1997-2000 after managing and coaching at different levels following his retirement from playing in 1977 after thirteen seasons."I've been at it a long time," he told reporters at Fenway Park. "Sometimes that's good. Sometimes that's bad. I've been in baseball since '65... I'd like to think I've seen most things." The Red Sox were is desperate need of a manager with this type of experience who has dealt with all kinds of players and team dynamics. Although many still have faith that Bobby Valentine was the best first choice, Lamont would have to be a close second.