Needless to say, Bobby Valentine is a little different than Terry Francona.
Everything had become too weird, so I hunkered down for another Salinger Seclusion. My last SawxBlog post was a long 37 days ago, and I again contemplated retiring this blog after its great seven year run. The Red Sox, stuck in a purgatory tailspin since September, had obtained the uncanny knack for making the bad, worse. There's no more Tito. There's no more Theo. There's no more Papelbon. There's no more Heidi even. It's a brave new world staring back at the fans, and the winds of change have been blowing ferociously since the September Collapse.
Change can often be good, is always needed, but more importantly - it's inevitable. All things must pass. That's what's helping me accept the weird. The organization is no longer headless, and with Bobby Valentine as our Manager we can start moving forward and make the past exactly that. Do I think Bobby's the best guy for the job? No. Do I think he'll be our Manager three years from now? No. I do think he'll be good for the Sox in the short term. Valentine's anything but stoic, and his presence will energize the players and fans alike. The one group who must be absolutely beaming today is the Media. Bobby's a great interview, and will be a breath of fresh air in comparison to the rote clichéd answers given by Francona. His run may be short, but it's sure to be memorable.
Regardless of how well Valentine does he's going to feel like a sneaky Step Dad to me. Tito developed so much good will over the years and felt like a kind patient Father. Everybody loved Tito. Bobby's going to come off, initially at least, as a cheap silicon snake salesman, smiling his way through both the good and bad. It'll take some time to earn my trust.
Everything is still weird, possibly weirder today than it was yesterday, but for the first time in two months Red Sox fans are thinking and talking about the future, which has to be a good thing - it's time to turn a new leaf over.
