Sports

Red Sox must determine if fiery Bobby V is best choice

On the final night of the GM meetings, word circulated that Dale Sveum was going to become the Cubs manager and, just as interesting, not the manager of the Red Sox.

Suddenly it made sense why Boston officials were talking about widening their search and emphasizing previous managerial experience, a trait that was not stressed in the initial round of interviews.

I sensed immediately this was going to put Bobby Valentine into play. Obviously, he has previous experience. But he also was known to be a favorite of Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, who was carrying a larger influence in this process with new general manager Ben Cherington than he probably would have with the recently departed Theo Epstein, who as the new president of the Cubs was responsible for hiring Sveum.

But out of curiosity I tried to get a handle on available possibilities with managerial experience, and I came across something that surprised me: Valentine has managed fewer games (2,189) than Art Howe (2,266), who actually has managed the 40th-most games ever, one fewer than Billy Martin.

It exemplified that not all experience is created equal. Howe will argue against the Moneyball brigade by insisting he had plenty to do with the A’s success from 2000-02. That is debatable. But what isn’t is what an utter failure Howe was in his two Mets seasons (2003-04) after replacing Valentine.

Fred Wilpon infamously described Howe as “lighting up the room” when he interviewed for the Mets job. But, in reality, he turned out to be the lowest-wattage-possible manager, especially for a major city with intense baseball passion. He had the charisma of a dull pencil.

Of course, the same could never be said about Valentine — even by his many critics. Valentine definitely would not be overwhelmed by the magnitude of being Red Sox manager.

And Boston upper management, at this moment, has to be fixating on a candidate big enough for a job that is a monster. In the best of times, the Red Sox manager is coping with a large, highly critical cadre of fans and media. Both constituencies are going to be feistier than ever following the greatest regular-season collapse in history.

That collapse is rooted, in part, by the fracturing of a veteran roster that — among other lowlight items — had several pitchers partaking in beer and fried chicken clubhouse picnics while games were in progress.

Do the Red Sox really want to gamble that a novice such as Blue Jays first base coach Torey Lovullo can handle all of that? Remember, Boston is not rebuilding here. The Red Sox will move another $160 million-plus into the middle of the payroll pot and the expectations will be to win a championship — in 2012.

Now, the champion Cardinals are going with a newbie in Mike Matheny, and so are the White Sox with Robin Ventura, though Chicago has strongly indicated it is in rebuilding mode. But the Red Sox are a unique beast. And all signs heading into the weekend were that Boston was moving away from Lovullo and deciding between the other two finalists: Tigers third base coach Gene Lamont and Valentine.

In many ways, this was the decision facing the Mets last offseason when they narrowed to two candidates with experience: the low-key Bob Melvin vs. the inflammatory Terry Collins. Ultimately, the Mets decided they needed the more dynamic personality and went with Collins.

So does Boston want steady or steamy? Here is something that should be considered: The AL East is turning into a division of star managers. Joe Girardi, Tampa Bay’s Joe Maddon and Baltimore’s Buck Showalter are all hyper-prepared, deep-thinking tacticians. And the Red Sox thought enough of Toronto manager John Farrell, their former pitching coach, to inquire a few times if they could pry him out of his Blue Jays contract.

Thus, Boston must hire a man it imagines being able to match inter-division wits against elite managers. Lamont is a longtime baseball man, so maybe he can play such high-level chess. But there is no doubt with Valentine. Even Valentine’s detractors would agree that few men are more prepared to manage nine innings day after day.

Look, Valentine is not a safe choice, like Lamont probably is. Valentine has sharp edges; he makes enemies, carries a grudge.

I actually like dealing with Valentine because he suffers fools poorly. If — for example — a reporter asks him a dumb question, he should not expect Valentine to throw a lifeline of kindness by just answering anyway. If someone challenges Valentine within the organization, that person better be prepared to defend the position. Yes, he can combine a big ego with a short fuse at times. And, yes, he will have an opinion on just about every element that impacts an organization — from better ways to hit and run to better ways to sell tickets on Tuesdays.

But an organization would be foolish not to listen. This is a bright man whose brain is not confined within old standards of the sport.

Yet he is old school enough that I am positive no player will be eating fried chicken and drinking beer in his clubhouse, at least not without a fight. I never covered a manager with a better eye for talent or a better feel for how to use an entire 25-man roster.

For someone viewed as inflexible, Valentine actually was unquenchable when it came to broadening his managerial tool kit, which should be a huge asset within an organization that envisions itself on the cutting edge like the Red Sox.

It also can be argued that the safe choice is not the best way to go, especially when the job demands a huge personality to deal with gigantic issues. The Mets can tell the Red Sox all about this — and Howe.