For the first time this offseason, Josh Beckett has broken his silence. The Red Sox pitcher appeared on MLB Network’s Intentional Talk on Thursday — a show hosted by Kevin Millar — and touched on a variety of topics, including the clubhouse controversies that marred 2011.
Beckett was among three Red Sox pitchers implicated in a report for drinking beer, eating fried chicken and playing video games in the team’s clubhouse during the unprecedented September collapse.
"I think the biggest key is what [Jon] Lester said to end that: 'We stunk on the field,' and that was the bottom line," Beckett said on the show. "If we would have pitched better, none of that stuff would have even been an issue. And it shouldn't be an issue anyway, because what goes on in the clubhouse should stay in the clubhouse. I don't care who says that or whatever, I'm not saying we don't make mistakes in the clubhouse. I think [Millar] will definitely respond to that because, hell, they were drinking Jack Daniels and they won the [2004] World Series. It's just what goes on in the clubhouse, it's supposed to stay in the clubhouse."
The pitcher’s longtime silence on the issue was largely in part to adjusting to his duties as a father. Beckett and his wife, Holly, had their first child at the end of last season.
Despite the hectic schedule, Beckett had a chance to personally clear the air with new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine. As an ESPN analyst last year, Valentine criticized Beckett’s penchant for long pauses in between pitches.
To address the issue, Valentine traveled to Beckett’s home in Texas to celebrate New Year’s Day. Although Beckett was encouraged by the conversation and the prospects of a new era, he downplayed the notion that a rift with Valentine ever existed.
"We had a little talk about [the ESPN commentary] and I think it was initiated just as a kind of conversation starter," Beckett said. "It wasn't really anything too detailed. I think it was one of those deals where he felt bad because somebody else told him he should feel bad about it, but it wasn't anything for me.
"I don't think we really got specific with anything," the pitcher added. "Bobby came to my house and we had a great talk. He seems like he's really excited about this. I think the first thing I said to him was, 'Hey, congratulations,' because I don't think anybody's ever been handed something like the Boston Red Sox. The Boston Red Sox, not only the organization, but the team that we have right now is so talented and he even said, 'Yeah, I know exactly what you're talking about.'"
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