Take that number 25 of your back, Bobby. You disgrace Tony Conligiaro and Mike Lowell.

But, Shag, you forgot. Help is on the way. Ol' Marlon Byrd will save the season. His 4-seam, sliding, cut, change-up, wiffler will have batters flailing and begging for mercy. Wow! Just what the doctor ordered. Oh? You say he's not a pitcher? So, why'd they give up a reliever to get him? You think these overpaid geniuses know what they are doing? Shoulda begged Theo to stay. He may not have done much better, but he would have thrown money around like a drunken sailor and made you think he was delivering another World Series team. Any way to shorten this season and spare us the misery?

I don't know about anyone else but I'm starting to feel bad for Bobby Valentine. My theory is that the Machiavellis on Yawkey Way knew that whoever replaced Terry Francona would not be well received so they threw Bobby V in there as a transition manager - he is a perfect sacrifical lamb. I think the treatment of Valentine by the fans is approaching cruelty and people need to ease up. And they definitely need to stop playing Sweet Caroline when the Red Sox are getting their butts kicked.

Valentine gets a lot of flack for criticizing Youkilis, but the truth is Valentine is right. I would have traded him at least a year ago. Because he was a part of two World series teams doesn't mean he is untouchable. Baseball is the ultimate "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately." I agree with Rita, Valentine is not the problem and should not be singled out by ignorant fans. The (alleged) front office is the problem.

Dan, This is like the good old days and it has to be making you feel relevant again. I know the past 8 years had to be tough on you, and each night that Sweet Caroline played with joy, you probably turned beet red with anger and tore up another Bambino book. Well, here we go again...When can we expect the new "tell all, smear all" book from Terry Francona and his curly haired boyfriend? Things are ripe, better start it now while everyone is miserable. Hmmm, miserable...haven't used that word in a while. Enjoy the rain and dark clouds today.

I think it's time for the Sox to make history once again, by becoming the first team to appoint dual managers - Dustin Pedroia and Curt Schilling. Dusty can handle the position players, since he's the official expert on the Red Sox Way, and Schill will inspire the pitchers. And he'd actually be finally earning the nine million dollars he got from the Sox in his last contract, when he never threw a pitch.

Larry Lucchino is the face ofthis mess, not Valintine.

When Pedro, Schilling, Lowell, Damon, and Ellsbury get back, the Sox will be fine. Is Keith Foulke interested in making a comeback? Don't people realize that the Sox of 2004 and 2007 had an all-star-packed lineup that picked each other up every night? This team only has Ortiz, Gonzalez and Pedroia at the moment and only one legitimate all-star pitcher who always has an up and down April (Lester). How the front office thought it could get rid of Papelbon and Bard in the bullpen and replace them with middle relievers is hard to fathom.

Does ownership even care???? Change will happen once the cash flow is interrupted......I believe for them, it is not about the love of baseball but the bottom line...would love to see an ownership team like the new Dodgers...with a combination of athletes with business sense..and business people who love the game.....

Although it was buried deep in the article, at least Dale effectivley implied that this team, pre-injuries was an 85-89 win team. The schedule gets easier next month and if Crawford and Dice-K play vaguely close to their abilities, we could be back to a .500 team by late May. However, the fact is when you have a truly pitiful bullpen, journeymen outfielders, 1.5 decent starters and converted reliever who will get shelled as a starter because he has only two pitches, you could have Branch Rickey come back from the dead and fail to get much from this team. The fact is that Theo was saw the writing on the wall from his mistakes, so he left town. Boston doesn't have an unlimited payroll so we need to move Lackey and Crawford - so that likely means packaging good players like Bucholz, Lars Anderson and Youkilis and then try to get guys like Clayton Kershaw, Ryan Braun, Felix Hernandez, Buster Posey, Brett Lawrie and Jay Bruce if at all possible. We will be paying for the front office's mistake for at least two years, but don't forget that Bobby Valentine can't pitch and hit for this team - and it makes me sick when I heard the over the air media stir up illinformed fans that the manger does much more than set a lineup.

Thank you very much for writing the truth. Dale is a very bitter man and it badly clouds his judgement. I suppose he thinks blinding rage is a synonym for independence. It is a synonym for petulant immaturity and lack of value as a reporter.

Curse of the WEWANTITO

Y'know...I'm tempted to say, "I can't believe there are fans who think this is Valentine's fault and that the team would have a better record with Francona." But then I remember this is Boston...these same fans will probably blame Bobby V for tonight's rain. And before you tell me about him not relieving Bard sooner in his last start, just remember the bullpen you think he should have turned to sooner is the same bullpen responsible for yesterday's embarrassment.

Tom Yawkey cared. What did that get us?

They didn't "get rid of" Papelbon, stupid. Papelbon has stated more than once that when the Phillies made their offer, he immediately accepted it without even giving the Sox a chance to match that offer...because he knew that what the Phillies were offering was so totally ridiculous that NO team would ever match it. I'm very happy for Papelbon that he was able to get so much money, and I'm sorry that we no longer have the benefit of his services...but if you think it was due to some strategic miscalculation or an unwillingness to "spend enough money," you DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. The baseball operations of this franchise have completely collapsed, there's no doubt about that...but your "expert analysis" of it is laughably ridiculous.

Schilling? Is that an attempt at humor?

Who the hell is Dale?

I agree with you. As a Red Sox fan, I find it personally embarrassing that the fans are turning their anger on Valentine. Jesus Christ himself couldn't manage this roster to a winning record.

Ah yes. I'm 59 and these are the Red Sox of my youth. Watch 10 - 12 games a year, and pocket at least 300 - 400 hours a summer to do things in the evening that really matter and are fun. I am ready for this. I didn't follow this team with any seriousness from 1980 thru 2002. I'm ready for another decade or two of respite and I believe it's here!

Just rambling. 15 comments on the Red Sox so far for a starting, losing season and none, 0, on bullying issue by a Harvard Graduate. Wow, do we have our priorities correct? I think not. Not that we can't chew gum and walk at the same time but at least comment on both. 1918-2004, 2007-2092? Who knows? Valentine's Day will never be the same in Boston (aka Red Sox Nation) again. Bullpen, more like bull#&*^ pen. Lest we forget, Terry, "Tito," Francona was disparaged in September as much as Bobby Valentine is now, so take heart, Mr. Valentine (pun intended). In Casablanca, Rick says to Ilsa, "We'll always have Paris.". In Boston we say to each other, "We'll always have the 2004 Pennant, down 0-3, final tally, 4-3 Red Sox". Maybe this spring season will pass, "As Time Goes By." As I started, just rambling.