Could Bobby Valentine be the best thing for the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry? (AP)

It’s just what the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry needed. At least, if you judge by the New York media that made the trek up to Boston Thursday in numbers that rivaled a pennant-stretch series between the two clubs at Fenway.

Every New York daily had representation, including multiple reporters in some cases, for the introduction of Bobby Valentine.

It was the perfect storm for the New York media. A media-savvy manager who is charismatic and frank with his judgements, a baseball lifer who understands and appreciates the rivalry. And to cap it all off, a man who recognized each and every New York writer from his seven-year tenure as Mets manager from 1996-2002.

“We [the Mets] played the Yankees six times,’’ said Valentine, when asked about looking forward to playing the Yankees 18 times in 2012. “I can’t imagine 18. Is it like playing 50 games? I think it is. Those long games are about quality hitters. The Yankees are quality top to bottom and the Red Sox are quality top to bottom, that’s why you get those wars.’’

Just ask Joe Torre, Joe Girardi and Terry Francona. All three have spoken at length about why Yankees-Red Sox is something different. Valentine – a native of Stamford, Conn. – clearly wanted to show to his New York and Boston audiences that he gets it.

“I think we are going to be able to match them,’’ Valentine said. “It’s not going to be the best team that wins, but the team that plays the best.’’

The argument certainly could be made that no hire in recent Red Sox history has had the marquee value to New Yorkers like Bobby Valentine offers.

“If Bobby Valentine pokes the bear and stokes the fire, that’s OK,’’ Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino told the NY Post’s Kevin Kernan.

Kernan pointed out that it was Larry Lucchino who gave us the nickname “Evil Empire” for the Yankees.

“If this intensifies it, that’s OK with us,” Lucchino told the Post. “One thing everybody agrees upon, is that Bobby is a highly competitive, highly compassionate guy who will not be outworked,” Lucchino added. “This is the kind of guy you want leading you into battle against your dreaded rival.’’

Bobby Valentine couldn’t have been more grateful on Thursday at Fenway Park for the chance to lead a major league team, 10 years after his last season managing the New York Mets.

But the opening of his acceptance speech in the State Street Pavilion raised a few eyebrows. He thanked John Henry, Tom Werner and Larry Lucchino for giving their stamp of approval to GM Ben Cherington for hiring him as the 45th manager in team history.

“I’d like to thank Ben and his front office staff. I’d like to thank John and Tom and Larry for giving the blessings to Ben on his decision,” Valentine said.

The irony in that statement is that most are assuming that this wasn’t Cherington’s decision at all but instead a hand-picked choice of ownership.

“I’d like to thank all my friends, family who have supported me,” Valentine said. “Many of you people out there who have said a kind word or two to allow this to happen because this day is a special day. It’s more than a special day. It’s the beginning of a life that I think is going to extend beyond anything I ever thought.

“The talent, the players that we have in this organization is a gift to anyone. And I’m the receiver of that gift. I think we’re going to do this, man. I really and truly appreciate this opportunity.”

Bobby Valentine had lots to smile about on Thursday as new Red Sox manager. (Mike Petraglia, WEEI.com)

The worst September collapse in baseball history was no laughing matter to Red Sox fans when it cost the team a berth in the postseason.

But Bobby Valentine used it Thursday as a backdrop to define the clean slate he plans on giving the players who return in 2012, with Valentine replacing Valentine in the skipper’s chair.

“Something happened in September that I wasn’t involved in,” Valentine said. “I didn’t see it first-hand. I think reputation is something other people think about you and write. Now, maybe this group of guys had a reputation that isn’t warranted because everything I’ve heard about the players that were in the uniform last year and the coaching staff says nothing but they had great character.”

Valentine heard all the horror stories of the Red Sox players losing control inside their own clubhouse and the team becoming undisciplined when the noose got tighter and tighter around the team’s neck in the final three weeks.

“There might have been a couple of characters that got out of line or situations that got spinning too fast. I don’t know,” Valentine said. “I can tell you that I’m looking forward to working with this group and establishing a culture of excellence.”

Valentine, of course, comes to Boston after working on the Sunday Night Baseball telecasts at ESPN. It was there where he earned a reputation for criticizing several players, like Carl Crawford for his open stance and Josh Beckett for his labored, deliberate and painfully-slow delivery with runners on base.

“I see one of my bosses here and one of my colleagues here from ESPN,” Valentine said. “And as I was giving thanks, I’ve got to give thanks to ESPN for giving me the chance to be an analyst. And part of that job, as analyst, is to be critical. I believe if some people heard what I had to say and took exception with it, I get that.

“I’m looking forward to the time where it’s not a conversation they’re going to hear from a comment on television, our conversation is going to be one-on-one. And I’m looking forward to talking with the players, being with the players, communicating what I think should be done or could be done. And I’m sure they’re looking forward to communicating with me to tell me that it’s OK to have an open stance or take 20 seconds in between pitches.”

No doubt, Crawford, Beckett and others inside the Red Sox will take Bobby V up on that offer.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said at manager Bobby Valentine‘s introductory press conference that Valentine was his choice, and not just that of ownership or anybody else working above him.

When the Red Sox did not offer candidate Dale Sveum the job after he interviewed with the team for a second time, rumors swirled that Cherington did get to ultimately make the decision.

“It’s just not true,” Cherington said of whether president Larry Lucchino or somebody in ownership made the decision. “We went through a very thorough process. We talked to a lot of candidates, we did a lot of research on a lot of candidates. At the end of the process, I made a recommendation to ownership, I believe it was sometime on Monday, that we offer the position to Bobby, and we did sometime Monday or Tuesday morning, then he accepted it.

“That’s the truth,” he added. “It was a collaborative process. Ownership, as they as they absolutely should, was involved in the discussion about all the candidates.”

Doc Rivers was in rare form again Thursday, teasing Bobby Valentine in the process. (AP)

WALTHAM — Doc Rivers probably isn’t expecting any free tickets to Red Sox games from Bobby Valentine.

Rivers, who was back in rare form in front of a microphone on Thursday at the Celtics practice facility, was asked whether he has the kind of relationship with the new Red Sox manager that he had with Terry Francona.

Rivers was with the Knicks in the early 1990s while Valentine came onto the scene in New York in 1996 as manager of the Mets. The two lived in Stamford, Conn.

Rivers told reporters he didn’t get any free meals at Valentine’s restaurant, which is also in the birth city of the new Red Sox manager.

“I know Bobby a little bit, actually when I was with the Knicks one thousand years ago,” Rivers said. “I got to know him a little bit. We lived in the same town in Stamford. I ate a “Bobby V’s” quite a bit. I can tell you he doesn’t comp. I can tell you that much about him. I had to pay.”

As for Francona, Rivers said he keeps in touch with the former Red Sox skipper, who was a huge Celtics fan during his time in Boston.

“Tito, we talk,” Rivers said. “He’s one of my favorite people. I’ll miss him.”

With so many sub-plots playing out on the dual stage of Chicago and Boston on Tuesday, one of the more interesting ones was the sales job new Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington delivered to Red Sox Nation on the status of star left fielder Carl Crawford.

Cherington made no secret that:

A) He wanted Carl Crawford in Boston and pushed for Theo Epstein and the Red Sox to sign him last winter.
B) 2011 was a deep, deep disappointment for both the player and the team.
C) Carl Crawford isn’t going anywhere.

“I pushed hard for that because I believe in him,” Cherington said of the seven-year, $142 million deal Crawford signed before 2011. “And I believe in him just the same now as I did then. This guy has been an impact player on both sides of the ball for a lot of years in this league. We saw over and over what he could do to help the team win when he was in Tampa.”

But that player down in Tampa was not the player on display in his first season with the Red Sox. He batted .255 in 130 games, with just 11 homers and 56 RBIs. His OBP was .289 and his OPS was .684, 44 and 79 points below his career averages, respectively.

“He had a down year,” Cherington said. “He admitted that. He’s taken full responsibility for it. Despite that, because of the way he handled it, in our clubhouse, and how hard he worked and how much responsibility he took for it, I truly believe he finished the year earning a tremendous amount of respect from his teammates and from us.”

What was really telling was how much Cherington wants to reach out to Crawford to get to the bottom of what made him so uncomfortable in his first year in Boston.

“We need to spend some time with Carl this offseason to find out if there are things we can do to help him fully transition to Boston, full assimilate to Boston,” Cherington said. “When he’s comfortable and feeling good, this is one of the best players in the league. It’s our job to help him to do that. It’s his job to learn something from what happened this year and what he went through and put himself in a position to be that guy again. He’s certainly one of the guys I look forward to going to see this offseason, our new manager I know will look forward to seeing this offseason and I’m betting on Carl Crawford moving forward.”

Cherington said he was planning to reach out to Crawford sooner but planning for the bigger picture has gotten in the way.

“I haven’t (reached out to him),” Cherington acknowledged after the presser. “I plan to. My hope was that this announcement came a week ago. My hope that we would have some resolution on the GM position before I began to actively reach out to the players because I thought the conversation would be easier, so I plan to do that very soon, and go see him this winter, too. This guy is a huge part of our team and as much as he’s struggled and had a hard time dealing with the fact that he didn’t perform up to his customary level, I have a lot of respect for this guy the way he handled it. It would have been easy to run away from it more than he did. And because of that, and his talent, I would bet on this guy moving forward.

“I wasn’t trying to send a message, I was just trying to tell the truth. That’s really how I felt. I felt that at the time we signed him, and how I feel now.”

Bill Belichick and Terry Francona have become good friends over their time in Boston. (AP)

FOXBORO — As reports were surfacing Friday morning at a breakneck pace on the expected departure of Terry Francona from the Red Sox, Patriots coach Bill Belichick reiterated his respect for the man who helped end the 86-year World Series title drought in Boston.

“Yeah, Terry and I are good friends,” Belichick said of Francona’s reported impending departure. “I didn’t realize that that had happened. But great manager, I’m sure that there are a lot of people in baseball that would like to have his record, including the championships. I’ll certainly miss his presence in this area. I’m sure we’ll be friends and still talk and see each other and so forth.”

Belichick, who owns a home in Palm Beach, Fla., would often take time out in March to travel across the state and visit Francona during spring training in Fort Myers.

“That’s disappointing, you know, on a personal level because I like Terry. As I said, he’s certainly had a great record as the manager of the Red Sox. Whatever it was, a hundred and some years without any championships and then they win two of them. That speaks for itself right there.

Belichick said he plans to reach out to Francona, when and if the announcement becomes official but would not reveal what he would say to him.

“Any conversations I have, those are private conversations,” Belichick said. “They’re not public.”