He certainly doesn't.
Terry Franconaleft his post as the Red Sox' skipper in late September, and Red Sox Nation began the long wait until a new one was named.
Candidates paraded their way through Yawkey Way, some with a little major league managing experience, some with even less than that. Finally, toward the end of the process, Valentine formally interviewed and eventually landed the job.
And that's supposed to be a bad thing?
"We debated things, we discussed various characteristics and how important they were throughout the process," explained team president and CEO Larry Lucchino. "At the end of the process, things coalesced into the profile that we felt were needed for this team at this time."
Isn't that the mark of a thorough search, interviewing prospective candidates and re-evaluating as you go? Isn't that how a job search should work?
Many point to the long gap in between Francona's departure and Valentine's hiring as a red flag. Still, more suggest that Valentine's late entry into the candidate pool shows that the team is unsure of its direction.
"We wanted to interview as many viable candidates as we could," said Red Sox principal owner John Henry, "and we had an open mind at the beginning of this process as to who the manager might be."
Doesn't it make sense to wait and make sure you get the right man for the job? The Red Sox interviewed several managers who didn't have much major league managing experience. After they were done with that group, the team apparently decided they didn't like what it had heard and expanded its search.
What's the big deal? Would you rather they hire someone who they don't believe in, just for the sake of hiring someone? Or would you have them take their time and find someone that they are confident in to take the reins of a team that looks to be one of the best in baseball (again) next season?
"In the end," proclaimed general manager Ben Cherington, "I'm very confident that we found the right person in Bobby Valentine."
It doesn't matter whether or not Bobby Valentine was the first choice for the Red Sox to have as their manager. Maybe he was and maybe he wasn't. But he was their final choice, and that's all that counts.
