NY Post sports columnist, Joel Sherman, sure loves to talk about the Red Sox. Especially since the recent text message controversy. Now, Sherman makes the argument that Jason Varitek would be a good fit for the Red Sox as manager should the organization part ways with Bobby Valentine.
Rumors persist the Red Sox want to make their former pitching coach, John Farrell, manager. The little problem is that Farrell is in his second year as Toronto’s skipper and under contract.
I am not here to fire Valentine, a man I like and think had the thinnest possible chance for success in a soap-opera environment poisoned well before his arrival. But, fair or not, if he truly is one and done, then my managerial suggestion for Boston would be Jason Varitek. He would allow the Red Sox to co-opt the idea of their main rival while honoring what is in vogue in the sport right now.
Like Joe Girardi was for the Yankees, Varitek is a former championship catcher for the Red Sox. So he comes with built-in credibility within this group. Look we can say the Red Sox players need to look in the mirror and not the manager’s office for the problem. But the reality is this core is coming back again next season and, if that is the case, the Red Sox are going to need to find someone who commands instant respect and who can begin to re-establish sanctity and sanity within what has become a Wild West baseball setting. Varitek should have that immediately with this group because it is so familiar with his preparation, professionalism and sturdiness as a teammate.
