Bobby Valentine: Former New York Mets Manager Would Be a Strange Fit for Red Sox

Say what you will about how long the Boston Red Sox's managerial search is taking, but we can all agree that they've certainly checked out their options.

To date, the Red Sox have kicked the tires on Dale Sveum (now the manager of the Chicago Cubs), Sandy Alomar, Jr., Gene Lamont, Torey Lovullo, Pete Mackanin, and both of our next-door neighbors. Come this time next week, the Red Sox may very well knock on our doors, too.

Or they could hire former New York Mets and Texas Rangers manager Bobby Valentine. There's a report out from Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com that the Sox have "reached out" to Valentine, and that the two parties will meet before the end of the week.

At that meeting, my presumption is that the Sox brass will ask Bobby V how he would feel about leaving ESPN for the most important job in the city of Boston.

When asked about it, Bobby V didn't really want to talk about it.

"I have a great job, and I wouldn't insult my employers by saying I'm interested in another job," he said. "I have two more years on my contract with ESPN and I'm very thankful for that."

That the Red Sox are at least going to have discussions with Bobby V really isn't all that surprising. He's an accomplished manager and a true baseball man with tons of experience. There are only so many of those to go around.

This being said, Valentine is an odd choice for the Red Sox. He's charismatic and he's experienced, but his personality doesn't quite match up with the front office's number-crunching style. He's more of an old-school manager than he is a numbers guy.

That new GM Ben Cherington is interested in Valentine could certainly be taken as a sign that he and the Sox brass are looking to establish a kind of new culture in the Red Sox clubhouse. What they need after the disaster of 2011 is a leader, and Bobby V has the goods to be just that.

Still, it would be odd to see the Sox transition from a level-headed persona like Terry Francona to a goofball like Valentine. 

But hey, as long as his first move is to implement a no beer and no chicken rule, this is a partnership that could very well work out.

We shall see.