Is Bobby Valentine's time with the Red Sox at an end?
With the team in tatters on the West Coast -- six straight losses, outscored in the six games by an astounding 54-15 -- the Boston Herald's Michael Silverman reported Monday morning that owner John Henry and general manager Ben Cherington have flown to Seattle, where the Sox will begin a three-game series against the Mariners today.
Silverman -- noting that "indications grew Sunday night that the owners have become increasingly frustrated with the team's shoddy performance of late and want to try to salvage something positive before the season ends" -- writes that "anything is possible when Henry and Cherington meet with the club, from the dismissal of manager Bobby Valentine to something as simple as just wanting to show support to Valentine and a team that is crumbling before everyone's eyes."
Ownership's support of Valentine in recent days has been tepid at best, from team presidentCEO Larry Lucchino refusing any comment about the manager's status to Silverman, to chairman Tom Werner dancing around the subject of Valentine's future in an interview with the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham.