Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Remember when Josh Beckett [stats] complained in spring training to WEEI.com about having a snitch on the team, somebody who ratted out players like himself for drinking beer and eating fried chicken during games last September?
Six months later, it was manager Bobby Valentine who revealed himself as the one being ratted out yesterday for an offense so ridiculously contrived that it only highlights how ridiculously unsolved this team’s off-the-field problems are. It points out how there is still at least one player around who is so unwilling to accept Valentine’s ways that he was willing to go behind his manager’s back to discredit him.
Can somebody remind me why people still root for this team?
[...]
Valentine was asked about the incident by a representative of the owners, a club source said, with the team concerned that perhaps the manager was being too harsh with the younger players.
The club source also said that the snitch was a current player. So that means it was not Kevin Youkilis [stats], Middlebrooks’ predecessor who was traded to the Chicago White Sox in June.
On the face of it, this episode in “As The Red Sox Churn” is appalling. It reconfirms how Valentine, who was supposedly brought in to wield more discipline than his predecessor, Terry Francona, continues to receive mixed messages about his fitness to do that job.
Herald - Bobby Valentine smells a rat in clubhouse
Chuck touched on this yesterday afternoon, stating that this squad, "may be the most unlikeable Red Sox team that I can remember." The Herald's Michael Silverman doubled down on that sentiment by asking why people still root for this team.
There's just so much here to be unhappy about. The fact that, at least one person, is 'tattle-taling" is insane to me. These are grown men playing professional baseball. Grow a pair. There's really no other way to look at it. It would be one thing if there was something harmful going on that needed to be reported (hopefully everybody has learned that lesson now). But when we have to run to the owner's box because Valentine threw out an uncouth comment after a bad inning? Ridiculous.
And how about the owners being concerned that Valentine is being "too harsh" on the young'ns? Isn't that the exact reason he was brought to Boston? To whip these guys into shape? How did they think he was going to do that, a gold star system and muffins for a job well done?
And clearly all this nonsense is perpetuated by the owners. When someone does rat out somebody in the clubhouse, they don't squash it. They release it to the media. They bring in Bobby Drama to manage the team, and then start second-guessing his decisions and approach.
We're nearing 12 straight months of absurd drama surrounding this team. At some point it has to become about the actual baseball playing again. But it won't be this year. And it may not happen again as long as John and Larry are in charge. Because, clearly, they love this soap opera more than they love the game.
Rest of the links:
Herald - Hard-luck loss for Jon Lester | Sox can do nothing vs. lowly Twins | Globe - Westmoreland checks in via Twitter | Ortiz takes positive steps | WEEI -Red Sox bats go silent in loss to Twins | Jon Lester: ‘I took a lot of positives from tonight’ | CSNNE -Valentine: Doubtful Beckett will make next start | Twins blank Red Sox, 5-0 | ESPN - Red Sox still treading water
