Dissension In Red Sox Clubhouse?

Dissension In Red Sox Clubhouse?

Buyer beware.  That is what we were told when the Boston Red Sox hired Bobby Valentine to be a new manager.  Everyone knew when he was hired that it was a long way from the kinder, gentler approach by his predecessor Terry Francona who never questioned his players publicly.

Sunday in an interview qith WHDH-TV, Valentine made some pointed comments about his third baseman Kevin Youkilis.  "I don't think he's as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason,'' Valentine said. "But [on Saturday] it seemed, you know, he's seeing the ball well, got those two walks, got his on-base percentage up higher than his batting average, which is always a good thing, and he'll move on from there."

Today, prior to their 11:05am game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park, Youkilis was made aware of Valentine's comments and was taken aback by what his manager said.  "Everyone here knows I go out and play with emotion," Youkilis said. "The only time there has ever been a question is because I've been too emotional."

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Youkilis also received support from teammate Dustin Pedroia who made it very clear that he was unhappy with Valentine's comments as well.  "I really don't know what Bobby is trying to do," Pedroia said. "That's not the way we go about our stuff around here. He'll figure that out. The whole team is behind Youk. We have each other's backs here." 

Pedrioa also wondered why Valentine would do such a thing to Youkilis.  The second baseman figures that his manager may be trying to light a fire under his rear end.  Regardless, Pedroia isn't buying it.  He said, "maybe that works in Japan," suggesting that it does not work here.

This has all the makings of a very combustible situation. 

Maybe Curt Schilling isn't the loud-mouthed fool many of us thought that he was.  Schilling openly questioned Valentine's managerial tactics and said that he was not well-liked by many players in the Boston clubhouse.  Many people, myself included, came to Valentine's defense saying that Schilling wasn't giving Valentine a fair shot at the beginning of his tenure.  However, it appears that the Sox' skippers' latest comments have done nothing to win his players over.