Former Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine clapped back at slugger David Ortiz after the future Hall of Famer derided Valentine in a book excerpt released on SI.com.
“Everyone I knew was unimpressed with Valentine [when he was hired],” and that “it was impossible to ignore the comments from my teammates about Bobby’s managing, how he made decisions that didn’t make any sense, and how generally clueless and distant he was,” said Ortiz.
Valentine was asked to respond on the Tiki and Tierney Show on CBS Sports Radio and replied “But whatever, I hope he sells a lot of books.” Valentine has regularly displayed contempt for the Red Sox since his unceremonious firing after the 2012 season.
It’s tough to be sympathetic for Valentine after hearing Ortiz’s side of the story. It wasn’t just Ortiz who didn’t have confidence in Valentine, it was virtually the entire organization, if he is to be believed. Obviously that’s just his side of the story and there are likely some details that aren’t perfect, but if even five people on the roster came into the year with doubts about Valentine, he wasn’t the right man for the job.
If Ortiz’s word has any sort of sway among people within baseball, it’s tough to imagine Valentine getting a job as a janitor at MLB Network after this.