Bobby Valentine and Ben Cherington

As a result of the collapse in September by the Boston Red Sox, Terry Francona was let go by the organization and Theo Epstein went to the Chicago Cubs. They decided that Ben Cherington would be the best general manager for them to have the most success. The Red Sox also thought that Bobby Valentine was the best manager that they could get, and they signed him to a deal.

Reports came out that some of the Red Sox players were unhappy with the hiring of Valentine. I first heard that story and thought that the unhappy players were going to be the ones that had already spent a lot of time in Boston and had a sense of entitlement to different things and were afraid of a change in culture--which is exactly what that team needs. I think that Valentine is a good hire for the team because people that have been around him say that he is always the smartest guy in the room. Valentine knows a lot about baseball and knows how to put his players in a position to win.

Valentine and Cherington are walking into a great situation in Boston and don't need to make major changes to the team. The fact remains that the Red Sox still went 90-72 this past year. Going 90-72 in any other division would lead to a pennant. But with the American League East being so strong, it's hard to get into the playoffs. Plus, Boston fans expect their sports teams to play well and put a lot of pressure on them to win.

Ben Cherington (Left) introduces Bobby Valentine (Right) to Red Sox Nation.