[Strikeout King]

A Boston Red Sox official told at least one player at the beginning of the managerial search that they "weren't going to hire Bobby Valentine or someone like that," a clubhouse source told ESPNBoston.com last week.

The conversation suggests that Valentine, known as a no-nonsense manager in stints with the Mets and Rangers over 15 years, was perceived by some as a darkhorse candidate that would not be popular with some players.

"They're going to have a mess on their hands," the source said when asked what would happen if Valentine, who at that time was just one of several candidates, was hired.




http://espn.go.com/boston/mlb/story/_/id...-sox-early