Bobby Valentine to Manage Red Sox: The 9 Biggest Issues on His to-Do List

On Nov. 23, I published an article entitled, "Boston Red Sox: 5 Things the New Manager (Whoever He May Be) Must Do."

I wrote an open letter to that manager, addressed to "Dear Mr X."

Now that we know that Mr. X is you, I've rewritten that letter.

Dear Mr. Valentine,

Congratulations on your selection as the 45th manager in the storied history of the Boston Red Sox. For what it's worth, less than half of your predecessors had a winning record. Hall of Famers Cy Young, Frank Chance, Billy Herman, Lou Boudreau and Hugh Duffy all were unable to win more games than they lost while leading this franchise.

You are succeeding a man who was arguably the most successful Red Sox manager ever, Terry Francona, who leads them all in games over .500, winning 192 more games than he lost. He is second only to the immortal Joe Cronin in total games managed with 1,296. (Cronin had 2,007 from 1935 to 1947.) Francona is ninth in winning percentage (.574), and then, of course, there are those two World Series victories ...

Will you be like Francona, Cronin, Hall of Famer Joe McCarthy (.606 winning percentage), or will you follow the forgotten footsteps of Lee Fohl, who lost 139 more games than he won from 1924 to 1926? 

And what about your tenure? Fourteen managers lasted one year or less. More spectacularly, nine managers were in charge for fewer than 50 games—the most recent being Joe Kerrigan in 2001.

Before you run out and start hitting fungoes to your fielders, I think we should have a little chat. We're going to guess that Red Sox ownership hired you because (a) You're a relatively "big name"; and (b) because you have reputation as a hardass who can come in and grab an allegedly dysfunctional clubhouse by the throat and turn it in a new direction.

Good luck with that.

Tim Britton of the Providence Journal hit the nail on the head when he wrote that the more important aspect of managing in the 21st century is "how one handles his clubhouse—a talent that is subtler, more difficult to gauge and, as we discovered at the end of this Red Sox season, not necessarily consistent over time."

Subtle? Bobby Valentine? Hmm. That could be a problem.

Chances are, you already think you know what the problems are and how to fix them.

But maybe, just maybe, a few changes in your own operating style will be the most important key to success in your new job.

1. Forget About the Past; You're Starting Over

You're 61 years old, soon to be 62, and you've been around the block a few times. You and your supporters will point to the successes you've had, taking the Mets to the 2000 World Series and the Chiba Lotte Marines to the 2005 Japan Series.

Your detractors will point to the fact that the Rangers and Mets went a combined 581-605 with you at the helm. If Boston fans were horrified about the chicken and beer in the clubhouse, what would they think of your departure from New York in 2002, amidst allegations of pot-smoking players?

And numerous sources have reported that the New York Post once ran a headline that read: “Why Wait? Can the Phony Now!”

I also understand you have managed the third-most games in MLB history without ever finishing in first place. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it's Jimmy Dykes at the top of the list with 2,962 games. Frank Robinson is second with 2,241 games. You're third with 2,189.

Coming to Boston gives you an incredible opportunity to get off that schneid. With the roster the Red Sox have, some would argue that almost anyone could come in and have a decent chance to finish in first without having to do a lot of managing.

Of greater concern is your reputation for being a polarizing, divisive individual. That's something you will have to overcome in Boston, or you will fail. Not only will you fail with your own clubhouse and the Boston media, but you will quickly lose the support of the fans.

Sure, it may work for a while to have the spotlight of controversy drawn away from the players, but in the long run, it will just make your job more difficult.

Is it true that rival managers will burn out their bullpens just to beat you? If teams play harder against the Red Sox just to show you up, what have you accomplished? You will just be creating obstacles you will have to climb over.

The best thing you can do is to acknowledge you don't have all the answers, and gauge your actions with the goal of pulling the team, the media and the fans together.

2. Understand Your Limits, and Know Who Is Your Boss

You're stepping into an interesting situation here, in more ways than one.

Is GM Ben Cherington second-guessing his own situation, especially in light of how he is perceived by many to have been undermined in the process that resulted in hiring you?

The owners (John Henry) said, "Larry Lucchino runs the Red Sox."

Word on the street is that you're Larry Lucchino's guy, which is all well and good. But Cherington will be your immediate boss, which may create an interesting dynamic if you're not careful.

Yes, your true bosses will be the owners: the same bosses who caused GM Theo Epstein to exit Fenway in a gorilla suit on Halloween 2005.

At the same time (and here's the tough part), we hope you will be strong enough to "speak truth to power." This is especially important in light of the disconnect that Red Sox ownership demonstrated at the end of the 2011 season.

At the same time, you must be willing to listen to what your veteran players are telling you. It will be the players, not the owners, who will eventually determine your success or failure.

3. Establish Credibility with the Media

As you well know, you're coming into a tough situation.

Your success in Boston will depend in large part on your relations with the media, because the media will paint a picture of you to the fans. You have had a reputation in the past of favoring writers and reporters who have written positive things about you, and freezing out those who have criticized you.

Coming from your ESPN gig will make your media relationships exponentially more important—and exponentially more difficult, if you don't handle it properly.

Your hiring adds another layer of media complexity to the situation.

The negative way the season ended has been exacerbated by some relatively inept PR work at the front-office level. 

For weeks, Boston-area talk radio has been akin to a play-by-play of Christians vs. Lions in the Roman Coliseum. Even though this is football season, the local "boys of summer," the best team in MLB for four months, continue to be savaged in the press.

The effect has been exacerbated by an ineffectual response by the team: not just the players, but also ownership.

Compounding the problem is a distinct sense of a lack of communication among the front office leaders. First of all, "Francona's not going," then he does. 

John Henry says the Carl Crawford signing was a baseball deal. Ben Cherington says it was a business deal.

"We're not interviewing any more managerial candidates…" and then they do. And by hiring you, they have waved a red flag in front of the editorial bull.

So, you must make every effort to get off on the right foot with the media (and by extension, the fans).

How do you do this?

Be open, available, frank and honest from day one.

Answer questions to the best of your ability. If you don't know the answer, don't fake it. Say, "I don 't know, but I'll find out and get back to you." And do.

Also, try to mend fences with that half of the media you're on the outs with. Such as…

4. Bury the Hatchet with Writer Murray Chass

Not bury the hatchet IN Murray Chass, but bury the hatchet WITH Murray Chass.

Seldom does a writer rip someone as badly as Chass did to you last week.

“I have found him to be the most disliked man in baseball,” Chass wrote about you. "Among Valentine’s peers, it would be difficult to find one manager who likes him."

He also reported that you told his nephew that Chass was "a despicable human being."

This mutual vendetta must cease, or else it will simply fester, with the potential of undermining the fresh start you want and need in Boston.

Be bigger than Chass and offer him the peace pipe first.

5. You're Not on ESPN Now: The Players You've Ripped Are Now on Your Team

Some listeners and observers thought that as an ESPN analyst, you took every opportunity to criticize mistakes, bad plays and what you considered to be poor judgment on the field.

I think it would be interesting to go back and listen to your games and compare the number of times you praised and complimented someone with the number of times that you ripped players, coaches and managers.

Former Red Sox pitcher Dick Drago is concerned that your reputation for criticizing players will make it more difficult for you to accomplish what you need to accomplish in that clubhouse.

"Tony La Russa, Lou Piniella and others were tough managers, but you didn't see them ripping their ballplayers in public the way Valentine has," Drago told me. "Whether it's deserved or not, Valentine has a reputation for being publicly critical of his players. If that does not change, he will not succeed in Boston."

Another concern is that if you win, you will take the credit; but if you lose, you will blame the players.

There is evidence to back up these concerns, such as the "Whartongate" incident in 2000, when as manager of the Mets you spoke to students at the Wharton School of Business, and belittled some of your players and took shots at management as well.

This is pretty basic. You need your roster to perform well in order for you to look good.

6. Take a Crash Course in Humility; Fake It If You Must

Surprise your critics. Learn to say, "In my opinion…", as opposed to stating your opinion as fact.

Show some humility. Even if you really aren't, make an effort to be humble. You spent all those years in Japan where humility and respect are part of the culture. You can explain this personality change as having occurred as a result of the years in which you followed the Japanese way of life.

If there is anything that is consistently brought up by those who don't like you, it's your alleged arrogance.

An interview with Sports Illustrated, published May 19, 2003, illustrates this point.

SI: Among the tough headlines you endured while managing the Mets from '96 to 2002: WHY WAIT? CAN THE PHONY NOW. Do you have a favorite tabloid headline that involves you?

Valentine: Most of those are framed in one of my restaurants. We have a collage of all that kind of nonsense. Probably THE MOST HATED MAN IN BASEBALL sticks out.

You're actually PROUD of being the "most hated man in baseball"? C'mon, man!

Everyone acknowledges that you are very intelligent, and that you are a smart baseball man. But you don't have to keep reminding people of that, and you don't have to be right all the time.

In 2010, there was a rumor floating around about you becoming the manager of the Chicago Cubs. Ray Ratto of CBSSports.com likened the situation to "The irresistible object (Valentine) meeting the immovable force (the Cubs' lack of self-esteem), with both sides losing spectacularly."

He went on to describe you as self-promoter and a power-and-attention seeker who is "Comfortable with the notion that he is always the smartest guy in the room."

Yes, we know that you claim to have invented the sandwich wrap at your Connecticut sports bar, and that you are always ready to point out that you were the Director of Public Safety and Public Health in Stamford.

From now on, try letting others do the promoting for you. Even better, let your results as manager of the Red Sox speak for themselves.

7. Find the Right Mouthwash to Get Rid of the Chicken-and-Beer Taste

Somehow, some way, the Red Sox must overcome the flow of rumor, innuendo and criticism that is still prevalent in New England media (especially sports-talk radio). 

Not until that is done will the Red Sox actually be able to move on to resolve team (and eventually on-field) issues.

This issue is so big it totally overwhelms all the others. Making it worse, this media frenzy took place in a vacuum of leadership, with field general Terry Francona booted out the door and GM Theo Epstein already with one foot in Wrigley Field.

This is still a PR disaster, and without being effectively blunted or refuted, it will fester for months like a dead critter under your porch.

As the new face of management, a big portion of this task is on your shoulders.

And you must address this problem before players report to Florida.

If not, the launch of spring training will be a media circus, with the focus being on the end of 2011 instead of the beginning of 2012.

Reporters will still press for more dirt, and to identify the clubhouse sources who leaked the damaging reports in the first place. That's not the environment you want to have going into a new season.

There's no easy solution here, but a good first step would be for you to reach out to every man on that 40-man roster. Go on a barnstorming tour if you have to, but the more players you have frank conversations with over the next three months, the more prepared you will be.

Armed with this information, I suggest you encourage the ownership team and GM Ben Cherington to host an open, no-holds-barred press conference, where you commit to answer all questions frankly and to the best of your ability.

Stay and answer every question, and respond to every criticism, with the condition being that once the conference is finished, everyone moves on. That's the end of 2011 post mortem, and the focus for the future will be 2012.

8. Hire Good Coaches Who Will Also Have the Respect of the Players

Please work hard to select coaches who will provide clubhouse leadership as well as a link between players and management. 

If you can't be a supportive and encouraging mentor, then surround yourself with others who can.

New Arizona Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson commands automatic respect for the way he played the game himself.

Gibson also surrounded himself with a coaching staff made up of former players, such as Don Baylor (hitting), Alan Trammell (bench), Matt Williams (third base), Eric Young (first base) and Charles Nagy (pitching).  These coaches have a combined 16 All-Star appearances, two MVPs and eight Gold Gloves.

This staff has been widely praised throughout MLB. Gibson was named the Sporting News NL manager of the year after leading his over-achieving team to the playoffs in 2011. The Diamondbacks rewarded the entire group with contract extensions, adding an extra year to each member of the coaching staff.

According to Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, General Manager Kevin Towers said, "From Gibby to all the coaches, they're a big reason we ended up where we did," Towers said.

"It starts with leadership in that clubhouse and changing the culture. They did a great job. Gibby, I think, was recognized by his peers for the job he did. It wasn't just us; other people within the industry recognize it as well."

And one other thing: to get such coaches, you have to convince ownership to pay them well.

9. Make a Call to Carl Crawford

The one player who can have the greatest impact on your success or failure as a manager in 2012 is Carl Crawford. Even the best starting pitcher can only win every fifth day; a multi-tool star like Crawford can help you win every day.

You should bend over backwards to help get his head on straight for spring training. He can end up being your biggest ally in the clubhouse, and if you manage him properly, he can be your conduit to reaching the rest of the team.

Unlike some other players whose long track records of injury and/or mediocrity can reasonably be expected to predict future performance, Crawford’s 2011 results are a stunner. ?

I’m not going to rehash here the oft-repeated litany of his underperformance. I think it’s more important to focus on the monster seasons he had in Tampa, because they are more likely to be repeated than 2011 will.

Former Red Sox pitcher Dick Drago and I were discussing Crawford’s unexpectedly bad year. Drago, who now lives in Tampa, said that Crawford in Boston did not look like the same player he was in Florida.

Drago believes the attitude in the clubhouse may have had more to do with Crawford’s difficulties than most people think. In Tampa, Crawford was one of the leaders on the team. Crawford had once confronted Pat Burrell about his lack of professionalism and poor attitude, and threw Burrell up against a locker to make his point.

Crawford’s opinion was so well thought of that management got rid of Burrell shortly thereafter. 

When he came to Boston, however, he was the new guy—an outsider in someone else’s clubhouse, and was apparently unable to affect the existing culture.

Mike Giardi of ComcastSportsNE did an excellent story about Crawford. He wrote, “Finally, late in the season but before the team entered its death spiral, Crawford had had enough. He launched into an impassioned speech, imploring teammates to get it together. It fell on deaf ears.”

You are the one person who can most affect the clubhouse culture going forward. If you do, chances are you will get your superstar back.