Boston Red Sox

[spud_gun]

he was there for years. failed to bring any silverware since 2007.

but he did bring their first world series for a bazillion years.

Man was thought of as royalty by the red sox fans.

Epstien ought to be having a long hard look at himself. He's given out some horrible contracts in the last few years. John Lackey? $82m

[spud_gun]

For anyone who's interested in baseball it's now officially #DOCtober

[washDCRed]

If they must spend more money to get Red Sox back to the top then it won't make it easier for them to find money to build a new stadium.

I wouldn't worry about money from either club crossing the Atlantic in either direction.

They make money hand over fist up there.

And Francona's departure was described as a "mutual" decision. He had lost the clubhouse and knew it. And he knew that there was too much money invested in the players for him to able to win any power struggle with Theo over getting rid of any/all of the troublemakers.

And their pitching stunk.

[little dave hedgehog]

all my mates are incredibly pissed off that they fired the wrong guy.

[Vermilion]

all my mates are incredibly pissed off that they fired the wrong guy.

Knee jerk ?

[little dave hedgehog]

i don't think so. they all think theo has mismanaged the club and francona should have stayed. i always wonder if whoever is buying the talent at a club doesn't have a shelf life.

like they've got a good idea about 10 or so guys out there that he's been saving up in his head, and once those 10 people are all bought up by someone, you have to switch up your staff because he's out of ideas.

[Alex]

that is why a new stadium is a must even if it is only 15k more a game. 60k instead of 45k.

It may not make financial sense to do it just to increase it by 15k but it is a must if we want to win the league. We need to get higher income so we can offer the players higher wages and pay higher transfer fees.

If they must spend more money to get red sox back to the top then it won't make it easier for them to find money to build a new stadium.

Every.Thread.

[Vermilion]

i don't think so. they all think theo has mismanaged the club and francona should have stayed. i always wonder if whoever is buying the talent at a club doesn't have a shelf life.

like they've got a good idea about 10 or so guys out there that he's been saving up in his head, and once those 10 people are all bought up by someone, you have to switch up your staff because he's out of ideas.

Tbh i'm not up with the workings of baseball, and how player aquisition is done, suppose they have a scouting system though, which you'd think would keep them up to date with the latest talent.

But i know what you mean, like they have a pool of players in their minds they want to buy that they are sure of, then after that they are sort of taking a stab in the dark, well maybe not that random but you get my meaning, i hope.

[little dave hedgehog]

i meant football as well.

[dom9]

Seems moneyball has not worked out so well in this case.

[Vermilion]

Seems moneyball has not worked out so well in this case.

[cannotmakeit]

Bobby Valentine was officially unveiled as the new manager of the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.

Valentine, who has agreed a two-year deal, replaces Terry Francona, who led the Red Sox to two World Series championships but left Fenway Park in September after the team missed the playoffs following a dramatic late-season collapse.

"I am honored. I'm humbled and I'm pretty damn excited," Valentine said after putting on his new Boston uniform at a news conference.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said: "He's managed for parts of 15 seasons in the big leagues and been to a World Series and won a championship in Japan. I'm very confident we found the right person in Bobby Valentine. And he badly wants to win."

Valentine made his major league debut as a player in 1969 with the LA Dodgers. He went on to play for the California Angels, San Diego Padres, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners.

His MLB management career began with the Texas Rangers in 1985, where he stayed until 1992. He became manager of the NY Mets in 1996. The 61-year-old managed the Mets for seven years, taking them to the World Series in 2000.

Valentine returns to the majors for the first time since he was fired by the New York Mets in 2002.

He also managed in Japan and worked as a television analyst before agreeing to try and turn around the fortunes of an underperforming club laden with talent and a $161 million payroll.

[little dave hedgehog]

not sure how to feel about this. his mets were a ****ing circus. but might have been the owners' fault.

[cannotmakeit]

no idea who he is. any good? $161m payroll!!

[little dave hedgehog]

people aren't too happy francona got the sack. as far as winning managers without ties to the yankees goes, the field is pretty small. just have to see how we get on.