Former Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has not been shy about criticizing his former players and coaches in the aftermath of his firing. On Wednesday, one of his targets fired back.
Red Sox bench coach Tim Bogar spoke to ESPN.com about Valentine's insinuation that his coaches were not loyal to him, and he also placed the blame on the manager's shoulders for the perceived lack of communication.
"The coaching staff was prepared to do everything that we were supposed
to do to help Bobby succeed," Bogar said, "but not once did he portray
what he wanted us to do to help him and eventually he shut some of us
out completely."
Communication issues seemed to plague the Red Sox all year under Valentine's tenure, with the players and the skipper often appearing to be on the same page. However, Bogar explained that he and the other coaches on the staff never seemed to have any issues with the team, and that only Valentine struggled with forging a rapport.
"I'm not upset about [Valentine] or anything he says," Bogar explained, "but what bothers me is the
perception of me and the other coaches is completely wrong. That bothers me because of what the coaches went
through this year and what we dealt with."
Bogar also explained that he has needed to defend himself in job interviews now, with team executives questioning him about Valentine's comments.
Dustin Pedroia and Mike Aviles both spoke in support of Bogar in the article, with Aviles describing the bench coach as a "bridge" between the players and their former manager. With Valentine out, that bridge now appears to have been burned.
