Report: Red Sox Veterans Blast Bobby Valentine In Private Meeting With Ownership
(WSCR) It's safe to say Bobby Valentine's first season in Boston hasn't gone as smoothly as he would've hoped.
According to a report from Yahoo! Sports' Jeff Passan, several veteran Red Sox players held a meeting with Boston management in late July to discuss their displeasure with Valentine, with some even saying they no longer wanted to play for the skipper.
Passan reports:
Boston Red Sox players blasted manager Bobby Valentine to owners John Henry and Larry Lucchino during a heated meeting called after a text message was sent by a group of frustrated players to the team and ownership in late July, three sources familiar with the meeting told Yahoo! Sports.
The owners called the meeting for Boston's off-day in New York on July 26 after first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, texting on behalf of himself and some teammates, aired their dissatisfaction with Valentine for embarrassing starting pitcher Jon Lester by leaving him in to allow 11 runs during a July 22 start. It was the latest incident in a season's worth of bad relations bubbling between Red Sox players and Valentine.
Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia were among the most vocal in the meeting, in which some players stated flatly they no longer wanted to play for Valentine, the sources said. The tenor of the 2 p.m. meeting at The Palace hotel in New York turned ugly almost immediately, according to the sources, whom Yahoo! Sports granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about internal matters.
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