Red Sox dismiss Valentine
Bobby Valentine lasted one season in Boston.
The Red Sox announced via Twitter that the beleaguered skipper won't return in 2013, one day after the team concluded a 93-loss season
"Our 2012 season was disappointing for many reasons," Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said in a statement. "No single issue is the reason, and no single individual is to blame."
Valentine, 62, becomes the first scapegoat for a season that seemed doomed from the start. He was hired in December amid an organizational turnover that saw manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein not return.
Valentine quickly alienated the clubhouse, beginning in April when he said fan favorite Kevin Youkilis wasn't "as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason."
Later in the season, players went to ownership to lodge formal complaints.
On Wednesday, Valentine told reporters that he "had every opportunity to succeed and didn't. He also told Boston sports radio station WEEI that he felt he was undermined at times by some of his coaches.
"I had to work through it all," Valentine told WEEI. "Just another thing that's part and parcel with the job. Work though it and try to make it better. That's my job to make it all better, make it all functional."
Valentine leaves with one more season on his contract. The last-place Red Sox finished with more than 90 losses for the first time since 1966.
"This year's won-loss record reflects a season of agony," Red Sox president Larry Lucchino said. "It 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.
"Difficult 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 manager's 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."
