If you missed the introductory press conference for new Boston manager Bobby Valentine, you missed quite a show. He said some good things and he said some bad things, noting that it is definitely going to be an interesting season at Fenway Park.
There was one feature of what both Valentine and general manager Ben Cherington confirmed last night, and that’s time. Now I don’t mean how long it will take to win another World Series or anything like that. I mean how long it takes to make a decision or respond to a question.
Bobby Valentine was asked plenty of questions last night and he took a considerable time to think about the “right” answer to each of them. It seemed that he didn’t want to say the wrong thing and he made a lot of interesting points on some of the players.
He made it obvious when asked about his analysis on ESPN that he has some “suggestions” for players such as Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. The one player that I felt he really didn’t get into enough was Daniel Bard. Valentine was asked what he felt Bard’s role would be going forward, either keeping him in the relief role or converting him into a starting pitcher.
He responded by saying that Bard is a great pitcher, but he doesn’t know what his role is going to be yet.
The basis of the questions directed at Cherington involved what his view of Valentine was during the manager search process and really what took so long to name him the manager. He admitted that his style of making a decision is taking a long period of time to thoroughly think it over.
Well Ben, you’re in the general manager’s chair now and you have to be able to make quick decisions. Now I am a big supporter of Ben getting the GM job, but so far he has disappointed me. Whether or not the Phillies paid too much for Jonathan Papelbon, Cherington didn’t act promptly enough to offer him a deal.
Just hours after the press conference Heath Bell, another big name on the free agent market, signed a three-year deal with the Miami Marlins.
So far that’s two big name closers who will not be pitching in a Boston uniform this season. It’s reasonable to leave majority of your work for the offseason to the upcoming Winter Meetings, but Boston has to get the ball rolling.
Valentine and Cherington will have to decide what Bard’s role is going to be because if he is going to be a starting pitcher, Ben has to go out there and get a closer, and a good one at that. It will be easier if the duo decides to make Bard into the every day closer and find another starting pitcher to fill the spot left by John Lackey.
These Winter Meetings are going to be very interesting for a lot of teams, but for Boston, it’s extremely important to get things done, unless it’s going to be another disappointing season.
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