soxcentral wrote:

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templeUsox wrote:

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Yes!

Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said Wednesday that his spring training regimen has so far been met with some grumbling from players who aren't used to his more demanding style.

"When I look at the program we devised, I don't think of it as tough. But it seems it's different because a lot of people are frowning. I just asked them to give (it) a few days," Valentine said, according to The Boston Globe. "We all know that no one likes change except for those who are making other people change of what that person want them to. I happen to be one of those guys who likes change because guys are doing what I want them to do. I would bet there will be 100 guys who won't really like it because it's change for them. But they'll get used to it."

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Excellent.   I hope these players are aware of how damaged their reputation is right now, fairly or unfairly, and step up to their new manager's expecations.

You have to wonder if some of these players are truly aware of how damaged their reputations are.  You'll see some of that when Beckett gets his first question about last year and swears at the reporter asking the question.

That said, I'm glad Valentine is making these players hustle in spring training.  Their easy spring trainings of the past couple of years should be gone.  In my opinion, they lost that priviledge.  These players at this point need to be on edge.

Kind of reminds me of how in the past the Yanks, when they got complacent, would hire Billy Martin, who would kick them in the butt and the team would respond.  Eventually, Billy would become a pain in the butt and the players would have enough of him and press too much, so out he'd go and in would come a Bob Lemon easy-going type.  The players would relax and their performance would improve.  Of course after a while, they'd grow complacent again, and so out would go the Bob Lemon type and back again would come taskmaster Billy Martin as the cycle would continue.

I'm not saying Valentine is Martin, but compared to how easy the players have had it, here comes their needed kicks in the butt.