Bobby Valentine: “I thought I did a hell of a job in Boston … Connie Mack wasn’t going to win with that team”

By Feb 26, 2013, 3:15 PM EST
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Sacred Heart University held a press conference today introducing Bobby Valentine as its new athletic director, Jerry Spar of WEEI.com was there to witness it, and not surprisingly Valentine said a few things that I’m sure Red Sox fans will love.

Asked about the 93-loss, drama-filled season with the Red Sox that got him fired, Valentine replied:

I thought I did a hell of a job in Boston. I thought what had to be done there was done except for winning a pennant. But Connie Mack wasn’t going to win with that team. It’s six months of a 62-year life. It’s six months of a 42-year career in baseball. It’s a blip, a little spot on the radar, as far as I’m concerned.

I mean, what do you even say to that?

Asked if his getting the Sacred Heart University job was a “joke,” Valentine replied:

If it’s a joke, it’s an inside joke. I’m very serious about everything I do in my life. I deal with passion and commitment and I deal with excellence.

I sort of want to go back to high school, just so I can use “I deal with passion and commitment and I deal with excellence” as my yearbook quote.

Blue Jays clinch playoff berth with Orioles’ loss to Red Sox

Associated PressSep 29, 2022, 11:49 PM EDT
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Thomas Skrlj/Getty Images
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TORONTO — The Blue Jays clinched a postseason berth Thursday without taking the field.

Toronto was assured of an AL wild card berth when the Boston Red Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-3.

If Toronto holds its current position as the first of the AL’s three wild cards, the Blue Jays would open a best-of-three wild-card series at Rogers Centre next week.

“These guys are excited to be in this position,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after Wednesday’s 8-3 loss to the New York Yankees. “You’ve got three really good pitchers lined up against a good Boston team, playing at home. So I think it’s more excitement more than it’s nerves or anything. I think the guys are going to come out and be ready to roll on Friday night.”

Toronto became the fourth AL team to clinch a playoff berth, joining division champions Houston, the Yankees and Cleveland. The Astros and Yankees have first-round byes.

The Blue Jays last went to the playoffs in 2020, when they were knocked out with two straight losses to Tampa Bay.

Eight of the 12 berths in the expanded postseason have been clinched: The Los Angeles Dodgers and St. Louis earned division titles, and Atlanta and the New York Mets are assured no worse the wild cards while still competing to win the NL East. The Dodgers have a first-round bye.