According to a team source, those wondering why Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington and principal owner John Henry will both be in Seattle this week "shouldn't read anything into" the trips. Evidently, Cherington had planned "for a while" to join the team for its three-game series against the Mariners, while Henry is slated to attend meetings in the city.
The presence of both men in Seattle, coupled with the recent demise of the Red Sox (who are winless in the first six games of their current road trip), led to speculation that a decision regarding manager Bobby Valentine's fate was imminent.
Still, even though both trips were prearranged -- and president Larry Lucchino's statement that Valentine would not be fired during the 2012 season -- the manager's job security would seem to be tenuous. The Red Sox are 62-73, 13 games out of the second wild card spot. And on their current road trip, the Sox have been out-scored, 54-15.
When asked after the Red Sox 6-2 loss the Athletics Sunday how the losing was affecting him, Valentine told reporters, "What difference does it make?" He then apologized, saying his intention wasn't to be rude.
For a closer look at the decision the Red Sox have to make regarding Valentine, click here to see Alex Speier's column. [1]
For more Red Sox news, go to the team page at weei.com/redsox [2].
Links:
[1] http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/baseball/red-sox/alex-speier/2012/09/02/valentines-day-time-red-sox-make-decision-mana
[2] http://weei.com/redsox
[3] http://www.weei.com/category/boston/red-sox