Bobby Valentine and Curt Schilling are engaged in a debate that is nothing more than noise.
Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine looks out from the dugout during a baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Detroit, Thursday, April 5, 2012. It didn't take long, did it?
Just one week into the season and with the Boston Red Sox seemingly still in the slump that dogged them through September 2011, manager Bobby Valentine had a contentious exchange with radio hosts Gerry Callahan and John Dennis on WEEI's "Dennis and Callahan Show."
Bobby V. is getting his first lesson in how fun it is to lose in Boston.
The team's slow start set the tone of the interview which took place Wednesday morning, before the Sox dropped an afternoon game to the Toronto Blue Jays, putting their record at 1-5.
The issue wasn't the hitting, pitching, fielding, or even the bullpen. The issue was a pitcher who hasn't worn the Red Sox uniform since 2007: Curt Schilling. Schilling, for those who've missed it, has been somewhat critical of the selection of Bobby Valentine as Red Sox manager.
When Bobby V was pressed on the critiques leveled by Schilling, he was not inclined to mince words.
"I think he knows a lot about baseball, and I did hang around with him a bit," Valentine said. "I don't think he knows anything about our team."
Pressed further on the issue Valentine sought to end the conversation:
Dennis and Callahan: "[Schilling] says he likes you, he’s a fan of yours, but he doesn’t think your style will work here. You just dismiss it as “Consider the source.” What’s wrong with the source?"Valentine: You tell me.
Dennis and Callahan:You’re the one who said it. I don’t know. I think he’s a pretty good source.
Valentine: Then it’s credible for you. It just wasn’t credible for me.
Dennis and Callahan: Why not?
Valentine: [Long silence] Next question, thank you.
One week into the season and the team has a 1-5 record. Meanwhile the Manager is mired in an off-field debate about an issue that has zero bearing on the team's play.
It doesn't matter whether or not Curt Schilling thinks Bobby Valentine is a bad match for the Sox. He's the manager and it's highly unlikely that will change anytime soon, barring disaster. Teams rarely fire new managers without allowing them time to both struggle and succeed.
The Red Sox are in last place but it's only mid-April. If the All-Star break arrives with a the Sox looking up at the rest of the American League East, then the conversation about whether or not Valentine is the right fit can begin in earnest.
Until then, whether you like him or not, you may as well give him a chance. He's not going anywhere.