Bobby Valentine approached the microphone in the press room at Fenway Park on Friday night with a disgusted scowl on his face.
The Red Sox manager wasn't all that upset by the loss, as he felt that Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg just overpowered the Boston hitters for much of the night. But there was one piece of the game that really got Valentine's blood boiling.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Kevin Youkilis worked a full count and battled through a combination of Strasburg's best stuff. Finally, after about eight pitches in the at-bat, Youk took a pitch down below his knees and began walking down to first when home plate umpire Doug Eddings rung up the third baseman on strikes.
Youkilis, enraged by what he believed to be a botched call, exploded on the umpire with a series of words unfit for print in just about any news medium. Youk was promptly ejected and the Red Sox were forced to endure their four — and soon to be five — run deficit the rest of the way.
Valentine expressed his displeasure with the call after the 7-4 loss.
"That's an RBI there, as far as I'm concerned," an obviously infuriated Valentine said of the call. "Youk gave him a heck of an at-bat. He gets called out and the inning's over. That pitch was not a strike."
The rage of Valentine could be firmly felt as each word crept from the crest of his mouth. It was the anger of a frustrated leader, someone who truly felt for his players and someone who remained adamant that they deserved better.
Youkilis' ejection isn't much — if any — of a concern for the All-Star third baseman, but Valentine's reaction was a definite sign of his character. The notion of standing behind his players, although in a very different way than Terry Francona, is rather encouraging. It shows that he truly cares about his team and that he will stop at no end to see them fairly compensated for their gritty effort on the field.
The fire in Valentine's eyes during his postgame rant resurfaced memories of the same manager who wore a fake nose and glasses in the dugout to remain with his players, or the guy who would kick dirt on umpires after a bad call.
The outlandish actions have seemed to be kept under wraps for the majority of the 2012 season, but Valentine hadn't quite put the fiery personality to rest just yet. And the Red Sox are better suited with a fire-breathing manager, anyhow.
Valentine's unwavering commitment to the Red Sox has been apparent throughout the peaks and the valleys — and there have been many — this season. But it's been the passion he shows both with his team and in the media that has really been more important than anything.
Sights like Friday night, when Valentine clearly goes to bat for his players, is the ultimate show of care and passion for his team.
These are Valentine's players and this is Valentine's team. And he's not going to let a botched call or grueling injury undertake the Red Sox drive to succeed.
