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Tim Kurkjian on D&C: ‘I don’t think it’s a very harmonious situation’ in Red Sox clubhouse 07.12.12 at 1:50 pm ET
By Morley Quatroche

ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian appeared on Dennis & Callahan Thursday morning to talk about Bobby Valentine, what’s wrong with the Red Sox’ star hitters and whether the Sox will be buyers or sellers at the upcoming trade deadline. To listen to the interview, visit the Dennis & Callahan audio on demand page.

As rumors of problems in the Red Sox clubhouse continue to swirl, Kurkjian said the problems are greater elsewhere.

“I don’t think it’s a very harmonious situation there, I’ll put it that way,” he said. “I really think this has been overstated. I think the problems that they have now are that their starting pitching, especially their top two guys, has been pretty bad, terrible, to use that word. And they’re all injured and everything else. I think if they start to play well at some point, I think they’re going to be a little bit more harmonious in the room.”

While Valentine has been under a lot of scrutiny for the mediocre first half and possible clubhouse issues, Kurkjian preached patience.

“Bobby is an acquired taste. … It takes a while to figure out what Bobby says and means, and everything else,” Kurkjian said. “He was an acquired taste for anyone who met him for the first time. I think eventually they’re going to get this. The question is are they going to get this for the rest of the year?”

Added Kurkjian: “He, other than Davey Johnson, is the most confident manager I’ve ever met, meaning he knows what he’s doing is the right thing and he simply cannot stand it when people say or do things incorrectly when they’re talking about baseball. And yet some things have been done incorrectly with the Red Sox and I thought we would get Bobby Valentine either angry or lecturing. … We haven’t seen him like that as often as I used to see him and I think it’s because he doesn’t want to come in and show the arrogant Bobby Valentine every single day because he doesn’t think that’s the way to go here. But to me that’s Bobby Valentine at his best, when he knows he knows more than anyone else.”

Carl Crawford has yet to play a game this season due to a serious elbow injury that he believes he may require him to get Tommy John surgery.

“This is not going to end well this year for Carl Crawford, from what I can see,” Kurkjian said. “I’m wondering already, and this is not my nature to wonder, if this is going to end at all well in Boston for him. This is one of the strangest stories I’ve seen in a while. … I wonder if this season you just look at it and shake your head and say, ‘This is not going to happen certainly this year for Carl Crawford in Boston.’ ”

Adrian Gonzalez has been hitting the ball fine with a .283 average, however his power has been lacking as he’s seen his slugging percentage drop from .548 last year to .416 this year.

“He has just not swung the bat with power at all,” Kurkjian said. “We have asked around to him and others, “Is that shoulder bothering him?” And to a man, they say he’s OK. Even he says, “I’m OK.” Well if he’s OK, then I don’t understand where the production is. … One of the great beauties of baseball is guys get really good and really bad in a hurry with no explanation. … That’s what’s happening with Adrian Gonzalez here.”

With the Red Sox at 43-43 and 2½ games out of the second wild card, it isn’t clear if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

“I think they’re going to have to be buyers because they’re the Red Sox,” Kurkjian said. “And they can’t give up on a season, especially a season that is still, believe it or not, open to a playoff because of the extra wild card and because of the relative weakness, to me at least, of the American League. … The Red Sox have to go out and get somebody. They have to go out and get another starting pitcher, whether it’s Ryan Dempster or Zach Greinke. It’s going to take an enormous amount to do it.”

Read More: adrian gonzalez, Bobby Valentine, carl crawford, Tim Kurkjian Print  |  Email  |  Bark It Up!  |  Digg It
  • Doug

    The next two or so weeks will be interesting to say the least regarding the Red Sox ability to help this club, will the FO get some pitching help? or will we just dodder along and watch the grass grow?  I for one would like an answer regarding the true power in the FO ! is it Larry L or Ben, who is running the show?  Yes an impossible question to answer as the truth is not available, at least not from the FO.  Ok Red Sox fans another hard question, how do you think A-Gon will do the rest of the season, 15 hrs to give him 21 for the season?  Is that asking to much?  Will Crawford step up and have a good last half?  How about Els, he’s got to produce!

  • http://twitter.com/Zj_6 Zack Jones

     You’ve got to believe that A-gon, CC, and Ells will all produce something more than they have for the first half. A-gon has been squaring it up lately so perhaps he’s close to being “back”. Who knows. All I know is it will be very interesting to watch unfold

  • Bampapratt

    Lester and Becket truly have been horrible in the first half but so has Gonzalas in run producing situations. How many games would have been won if he hit this first half like he did the first half of last year?

  • Baker

    Dude has been a let down… And speaking of let downs, I used to be a big  Pat Chung fan, but I can’t help but notice that the safety play has improved in his absence as well. The guy is good for a big hit every once in a while and is good against the run, but he bites on the play action all the time and is mediocre at best against the pass.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1247940578 Tony T. Tony

     He hasn’t been a let-down. He played a different system in SD. And his leadership has been missed as a matter of fact.  You got the Chung part right.

  • fab4ever

    Way to go Carmelo…right now Florida Gulf Coast University could beat the Celtics…..

  • https://twitter.com/obviouspiccolo Obvious Piccolo

    dont be hater. life is so exciting

  • Jaime

    Hey idiot, that Celtic team who would lose to FGCU also almost beat Heat. So kill yourself.

  • Yankee27/gmen

    Way to go Melo great win baby let’s keep it going!! Celtics suck and Boston sucks period!

  • rilawman

    Wow, what an intellectual giant!! Keep up the insightful posts, moron!!

  • Bruinman86

    So, will that be their Championship this year? Don’t see them going far in the playoffs.

  • Bruinman86

    So, will that be their Championship this year? Don’t see them going far in the playoffs.

  • Bruinman86

    So, will that be their Championship this year? Don’t see them going far in the playoffs.

  • Bruinman86

    Settle down. You have to admit that they do stink right now. Great teams don’t have 4, 5 & 6 game loosing streaks all in the same season. It’s just not their year this year. It might take a while to rebuild.

  • http://www.facebook.com/dan.cohn.77 Dan Cohn

    Anytime you can beat a division rival on their home court 2 times in a row that says something about your team.Especially when it’s the hated chumps from Boston.winning twice in a row at Boston gives us a little mental edge just in case we play BOSTON in the 1st round of the playoffs we know we can win on their court it was great to watch the knicks take it hard at Paul pierce and make him work hard on defense which could be the key to really beating Boston is to try and wear Paul pierce down so he is not so effective to hit big shots in the 4th qtr.In the meantime the knicks are rolling now and look more like the team that we went crazy for in the start of the season and we are still missing players. Im lookin foward to tonight to see if the knicks continue playing well against a tough Memphis team that beat us bad the last time we played them and the knicks on a back to back in this game could be tired but I think the garden will rock tonight and carry the knicks to a knicktory in tonight game ( go bockers. )!!!!!!!!!….

  • Swaggy P

    Should be able to make it to the Eastern conference finals and give the Heat a good run for their money. The Knicks already mashed up the Heat’s cheeks twice this season so it’s just a matter of getting on a roll and a little luck on their side.

  • fab4ever

    Wrong arse breath…the C’s STINK right now…and the only reason they compete with the Heat is because they match up well with them, period. This team has lost 5 straight, have lost to the soon-to-be Pelicans, the Bobcats not once, but twice….so please. Get your facts straight if you wanna swim with the sharks…no go back to your mom’s house and get spoon fed your bowl of porridge…

  • fab4ever

    Don’t be stupid. Learn to write.

  • Green For Life

    So the Knicks are gonna beat the Heat in the playoffs? I think 1st round exit is a lot more likely considering they haven’t been able to make it past the first round in the last decade. Regular season doesn’t mean anything except which team you go on to play in the playoffs. The Celtics were a .500 team last year and they almost eliminated the heat in 6 games. These New York fans are just ticked off because they have no one to root for this year.

  • fab4ever

    The loser Yankee27 is BACK!!! Wow…hey, I just heard they’re about to sign John Olerud and Kenny Lofton to help shore up their pathetic team…all corpse, all the time….I saw a couple of loose shopping carts at the local Stop & Shop…time for you to fetch them…

  • SizzleNomics

    (the C’s STINK right now…and the only reason they compete with the Heat is because they match up well with them, period.) fab4ever you sound like you know what your talking about… Danny Ainge built this team in order to compete with one team since you know who that is I wont bring it up, for one series not an entire season. I’m a true fan hoping my team can stay healthy an make it to that Conference Finals because besides the Heat the East suck so when we do make the conference finals if we do lol my money is on the celtics.

  • SizzleNomics

    The knicks dude lol you guys won’t make it out the first round

  • SizzleNomics

    The celtics are still jelling molding their identity that’s what the grind of a regualar season is all about… There is no championships to win during the regular seaon so if we won 33 in a row it wouldn’t make a difference we have to play are best ball when it counts the most. I’m a true fan this is not a rebuilding year, mark my words we won’t be losing 4 in a row in the playoffs SMDH take the celtics logo off your pic that’s not your team!!! I can understand clowns from a different area talking what they don’t know but really dude???

  • SizzleNomics

    At least Someone has an idea of what their talking about on here wow!!!

  • Anonymous

    Every the Knicks lose, it’s because there’s no Amare, no ‘Melo etc…. Nice job beating up on a team that has no KG (and we won’t bother with the other guys out) That’s about the only NY got now, the ability to beat up on injured teams….maybe of your football teams will be playing in the postseason someday

  • SizzleNomics

    Finally someone that knows ball thank you Mr. Green For Life!!!!

  • steve

    my daughter grammar school could beat the Celtics

    they are pathetic and all they have for players are rejects that no other team wanted along with an awful coach and GM

  • SizzleNomics

    you must pay your bills off of making jokes or something either that or you don’t know what your talking about GOOD DAY :-)

  • steve

    All Boston team stinks

  • https://twitter.com/obviouspiccolo Obvious Piccolo

    I’m pretty sure I have my degree, thank you very much. You sound like you’re 12.

  • https://twitter.com/obviouspiccolo Obvious Piccolo

    And you might not make it to the playoffs.

  • SizzleNomics

    LMFAO get real dude… I’m not referring to your wet dreams i’m talking reality!!!

  • allen nevarez

    This guy is studip!!!

  • allen nevarez

    *stupid

  • Dean

    Was going to burn my Celts card if they lost to those Clev boys. Saved it in the end. Go Celts Go

  • wayne

    we were always told as kids that if you can’t say something good about someone then don’t say anything at all. Could this be the reason why this board is so silent regarding our C’s tonite? Well, at least they pulled out a last second, come from behind win tonite versus the bottom-dwelling Cavs. As well as PP played all around tonite, I see that he still got his nowadays normal 7 turnovers. I don’t know of any championship caliber team who’s top star (a forward) commits at least 7 turnovers every night.. please Doc, find someone else’s hands to put the ball in, to share some of PP’s load. But at least we won tonite against the Cavs..

  • Anonymous

    I could not agree more.

  • Fillmore J

    Miami in the first round here we come!!

  • Green For Life

    Good win to snap the cold streak. Pierce has got to be more careful with the ball. these turnovers are frustrating.

  • http://www.SanityisSubjective.com/ Sanity Is Subjective

    “rejects no other team wanted”- Yeah, no one was contacting the Celtics at all about Pierce and Avery Bradley (among others) at this year’s trade deadline. Nope…not at all.
    Doc is an awful coach? In what reality?
    How clueless can someone be? If you’re going to troll, at least put some effort into it and learn a thing or two before posting…that way you can do it effectively and make comments and hurl insults based in reality and aren’t completely laughable. No one is laughing at this comment, they ARE laughing at you though.

  • http://www.SanityisSubjective.com/ Sanity Is Subjective

    Wow…you make such a great, intelligent and well thought out response in countering all his points!
    Oh wait….

  • http://www.SanityisSubjective.com/ Sanity Is Subjective

    This is posted on WEEI’s website, right? A Celtic’s page, correct? Why are there Celtic’s haters, trolls and “fans” of other teams posting here? Are there lives really so void and absent of anything worthwhile or better to do other than going to a team’s hometown web-page in order to troll and bash them and their fans? How sad is that exactly? Obsessed is a word that comes to mind…

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