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As season winds down, Bobby Valentine jabs at Red Sox medical secrecy 10.03.12 at 10:05 am ET
By Alex Speier

Bobby Valentine

NEW YORK — Thought Bobby Valentine would use the final three days of the season in Yankee Stadium as a forum in which to lob grenades at his team prior to his near-certain and imminent dismissal? Hasn’t happened. But the manager has taken a couple of less direct shots at some elements of the team.

At or near the top of the list in terms of his criticism has been the team’s culture of medical secrecy. On Tuesday, for instance, Valentine said that left-hander Jon Lester had to leave the game after the fifth inning due to spasms. Asked whether he experienced back spasms, Valentine responded, “They hate for me to say what it is,” before muttering, “Stupid.”

There have been a number of oblique shots at the cloak-and-dagger treatment of medical information of late. When asked about the injury keeping Dustin Pedroia out of the lineup on Monday (a broken ring finger, as it turned out), Valentine responded sarcastically, “God, I’d hate to give away secrets like that. The enemy will then be apprised of the situation.” Asked last week at Fenway Park for an update on center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury‘s status, Valentine playfully banged his head into the microphone in the media interview room.

It’s not exactly the pyrotechnics that some anticipated in the final games of the season. But as Valentine’s time as Red Sox manager nears its all-but-official conclusion, he appears to be pointing to some of his organizational frustrations, albeit in less-than-explosive fashion.

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  • Anonymous

    This guy brings out the worst in me.  I can’t imagine playing for him.  Good bye.  Good riddance.  I have to go wash.

  • Hawkmans cousin

    before all the bile comes on (I mean this story has Bobby in it right?There will have to be about 15 posts about how hes the worst!!Get this clown out of here etc..blah..blahbullcrap)…in this case hes right. How would you like to have to be paraded out to answer questions about something that you’ve been told not to talk about, The Sox medical staff secrecy is pretty damn foolish when you think about it, its been like KGB style all year. Bobby has to talk to the press its a managers job, but he has’nt been armed with all the information  most of the year for some silly reason…but hey I know logic need not apply when we’re talking about Bobby…lets return to the regular scheduled  programming again..y’know”He’s the worst!” “John Farrell would turn this team around..” and that old number one hit “Tito was the best manager ever..”…I should know better than to encourage people to think….

  • http://twitter.com/McGillicudy McGillicudy

    Yeah I came into this one prepared to hate on Bobby V, but in this case I can’t really disagree. I guess maybe it’s a competitive advantage to keep a lid on injury information, but it’s stupid. It’s annoying when the Pats and other NFL teams do it, and honestly the leagues should come down harder on it. 

  • DreadPirateRoberts

    Dude, no one wanted to read that due to its length.  It’s so much easier to say “I hate ______________”. 

  • DreadPirateRoberts

    It’s a mind game to not divulge this stuff.   I think a lot of teams don’t share that info because it takes away from the trade-ability of the player down the line.  Who wants to take an injury ridden guy on?  Look at CC for proof of that.  The Rays knew his wrist was bum, but it was never reported.  

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