Visited Wrigley in June and must agree that the place has a 1980s-Fenway vibe. Didn't see any rats, though. As for the rest of the column, interesting that JH chose "empowered" when describing BV; Dan does a good job of squashing that notion. But is the goal here to shame BV into quitting or inspire him to lockout Cherington and demand his own coaching staff, which would undoubtedly lead to his firing? The column purposefully incites. JH tries to reassure BV, admittedly with a suspect choice of words, and DS twists it into an insulting lie. Is Dan working with his Baltimore buddy LL to make LL's personal hire snap and ride himself out of town? Now that sounds plausible.

Valentine might not be getting fired but I sure do wish that Shaughnessy was getting the ax.

Dan your frustration is coming off the pages here. Not only is Valentine here for the season (much to your dismay) but you're not getting access to Henry OR your former buddy Luchhino. Sweet! I'm encouraged that Sox ownership is not buckling to this media generated hysteria surrounding Bobby V. THAT gives me hope for the future of the organization more than anything else. BTW your "paranoia" comment about John Henry is a classic example of media hypocrisy. Henry has been beaten over the head by the media around here for months and is accused of being an absentee owner who's too involved with other business interests. So Henry responds to that charge and you call him paranoid. This is why people hate the media. Agenda driven and very unfair.

rmpastor, it's obvious Dan can't get an audience with his buddy LL. Part of his frustration. He's not in the loop any longer.

Shoney's right - Dan's opinions of the Sox are agenda driven and unfair, making his opinions hard to trust. Lately, I read Dan's columns to see how wrong he is with his latest BS, not to learn anything new about the Sox.

Bobby Valentine's season is what one would expect, given his track record. His teams typically play .500 ball, they have a lot of dissension, and players generally perform below expectations. He took a team that won 90 games last year and turned them into a .500 ballclub. Anyone who has managed professional people knows that the most important task for a manager is to put the employees into a position where they perform up to their potential. Red Auerbach, Dick Williams, Bill Belichik, and Terry Francona have all been able to do this, but Valentine has another year of failure. Valentine has been unwilling to take responsibility for his failure to get good performances from his players, and he has blamed injuries. Good managers/coaches, such as Auerbach, Williams, Bellichik, and Francona have always been willing to take responsibility. Its understandable why some sportswriters are happy with Valentine as manager. Dissension and a losing team gives sportwriters more to write about. It's also understandable that some fans identify with Valentine. Those fans who have been unsuccessful in life identify with Valentine because he has been a failure for so many years.

Guess this means that Bobby will have his boys next year and of course one more year of Bobby.

"Dan Shaughnessy presents himself as an unlikable character who doesn't care about the image he presents to readers and media. Despite this, he gets unwavering support from his colleagues. We repeatedly ask why he receives this support. Should we instead be asking what this support says about the people who populate the Red Sox beat of the Boston Globe?"

In 110 games the starting linup has not been able to play once!! Dan pay attention. When was the last time Ellsbury, Pedroia, Gonzalez,Ortiz, and Crawford started the same game. Not this season. Yes injuries are part of the game, but get real. It is amazing they are where they are

Whatever Valentine's faults, he was handed 2011's unmitigated disaster without alteration, forced to inherit Francona's coaches, and saddled with an indecisive and insecure GM who never wanted him in the first place. It was easy to predict how it would turn out. When Valentine set off sparks with his Youkilis comment early in the season, Pedroia piped up with "that's not how we do things around here." Really? These players need a disciplinarian, and they got one--albeit with one hand tied behind his back. Pedroia is regarded as the unofficial captain of the R/S. Where was he last September when his teammates were blowing the season and sinking the manager he allegedly regarded as a father figure? Why hasn't he offered leadership by supporting his manager--instead of undermining him? This is a dysfunctional team that needs to be blown up. Terminating Valentine will solve little. He's not responsible for this mess. It's too late to fire Theo, but this disastrous team is his real legacy--and it will take several years and tens of millions of dollars to recover from it. That said, beware a vote of confidence from the front office--especially this one.

Lets hope Luchhino doesn't sign that extension. He and Bobby can go.