tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457029297947810745.post1831601148767232025..comments2012-08-27T16:30:05.413-04:00Comments on The Truth: A Red Sox Offseason to be ForgottenMatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04190187304306258175noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8457029297947810745.post-7579585000577335192011-12-17T10:04:20.148-05:002011-12-17T10:04:20.148-05:00I appreciate your opinion, but I disagree with a l...I appreciate your opinion, but I disagree with a lot of this. Yes, baseball is based on individual performances more than other team sports, but you can't overlook the importance of team chemistry. 2004 and 2007 - years the Sox won and had great chemistry without huge star players. I believe that the cause of the collapse last season was because of poor chemistry, which in turn affected individual performances. Baseball is more of a mental game than almost any other sport. What goes on behind closed doors in players' personal relationships affects performance on the field.<br /><br />That being said, I'm starting to convince myself that I like Bobby Valentine as the new manager. I think the front office wants to bring back that loving, care-free mentality to the locker room to get the players back to their '04 and '07 personalities. (Hey, maybe we'll sign Manny again since he's reinstated and only serving a 50-game suspension now.) Maybe that's not possible, but I think they're trying. Even though Tito was a player's manager, he couldn't handle the egos anymore. Just like your Donald Sterns post, it was just time for a change. He lost the ability to get through to players. Unlike Stern though, someone could force Tito out. I'm looking forward to see what Valentine can do with this group of players.<br /><br />Also, Alfredo to the starting rotation! Love watching him, plus his name is fantastic.Sara Amaralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16906168898146011658noreply@blogger.com