The 2012 season ended for the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night and it didn’t take long for management to make a swift but needed decisionZ<\/p>\n
It was no surprise Thursday when the Red Sox announced they had fired Bobby Valentine.<\/p>\n
Valentine who was in the first year of a two year contract managed the Sox during one of their worst seasons in history.<\/p>\n
Press Release below:<\/p>\n
BOSTON, MA \u2013 The Boston Red Sox today announced, following a meeting among team leaders and Manager Bobby Valentine, that Bobby will not return in 2013. A search for a new manager will begin immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur 2012 season was disappointing for many reasons,\u201d said Executive Vice-President\/General Manager Ben Cherington, who made the announcement and who will lead the search. \u201cNo single issue is the reason, and no single individual is to blame. We\u2019ve been making personnel changes since August, and we will continue to do so as we build a contending club. With an historic number of injuries, Bobby was dealt a difficult hand. He did the best he could under seriously adverse circumstances, and I am thankful to him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Red Sox used 56 players in 2012, the most in club history. Their 9-player blockbuster trade August 25 with the Los Angeles Dodgers was their largest in 40 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year\u2019s won-loss record reflects a season of agony,\u201d said Red Sox President\/CEO Larry Lucchino. \u201cIt begs for changes, some of which have already transpired. More will come. We are determined to fix that which is broken and return the Red Sox to the level of success we have experienced over the past decade.<\/p>\n
\u201cDifficult as it is to judge a manager amid a season that had an epidemic of injuries, we feel we need to make changes. Bobby leaves the Red Sox\u2019 manager\u2019s office with our respect, gratitude, and affection. I have no doubt that he will continue to contribute to the game he loves so much and knows so well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Red Sox Chairman Tom Werner said, \u201cThis season was by far the worst we have experienced in over ten years here. Ultimately, we are all collectively responsible for the team\u2019s performance. We are going to be working tirelessly to reconstruct the ballclub for 2013. We\u2019ll be back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thank Bobby for the many contributions he made and for the energy he brought each day. He is a baseball man through and through.\u201d<\/p>\n
Red Sox Principal Owner John Henry said, \u201cIn our meeting with Bobby today, he handled everything with dignity and class, and it is deeply appreciated. Ultimately, we as owners are responsible for arming our organization with the resources \u2014 intellectual, physical, and financial \u2014 to return to the levels of competitiveness to which we aspire and to which our fans are accustomed. Our commitment to winning is unwavering. It is a commitment to this team, to this city, and to these fans who have supported us through thick and thin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have confidence in Ben Cherington and the kind of baseball organization he is determined to build.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand this decision,\u201d said Valentine. \u201cThis year in Boston has been an incredible experience for me, but I am as disappointed in the results as are ownership and the great fans of Red Sox Nation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a privilege to be part of the 100 year anniversary of Fenway Park and an honor to be in uniform with such great players and coaches. My best to the organization. I\u2019m sure next year will be a turnaround year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The 2012 season ended for the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night and it didn’t take long for management to make a swift but needed decisionZ It was no surprise Thursday when the Red Sox announced they had fired Bobby Valentine. Valentine who was in the first year of a two year contract managed the Sox […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[12,13],"coauthors":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-32","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-news","7":"tag-bobby-valentine","8":"tag-red-sox"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/tireball.com\/backpage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=32"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}