PenneyKoslan
01.12.2011., četvrtak
Red Sox hire Bobby Valentine
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The Boston Red Sox announced Wednesday night that Bobby Valentine will be introduced as manager Thursday. The team will host a news conference at 5:30 p.m. at Fenway Park to announce Valentine's hire. Valentine, reached at his Connecticut home before Wednesday's announcement, called the Red Sox "a storied franchise."balklänningar "Having a great baseball team with a chance of winning the ultimate title is what people dream about, and I'm one of those who dream about those things," Valentine told ESPNNewYork.com's Ian O'Connor from by phone. The hiring comes a little over two months since the Red Sox announced on Sept. 30 that they were not exercising the two-year contract option they held on Terry Francona, who in his eight seasons as manager guided the Red Sox to two World Series titles, the one in 2004 ending an 86-year championship drought. But Francona also presided over the collapse of the Red Sox in a 7-20 September in which they fell out of playoff contention on the final day of the regular season. No team had ever held a lead as large as the Red Sox had for a playoff spot so deep into a season -- the Sox held a nine-game advantage in the wild card on Sept. 3 -- and failed to qualify for the playoffs.bröllopsklänning Francona said at the time he parted from the Red Sox that he felt it was "time for a new voice," but also said that he was never asked to return. Whether the players are open to the new voice is up for debate after a clubhouse source told ESPNBoston.com last week that a team official told at least one player at the beginning of the managerial search that they "weren't going to hire Bobby Valentine or someone like that." The conversation suggests that Valentine, known as a no-nonsense manager in stints with the Mets and Rangers during 15 years, was perceived by some as a darkhorse candidate who would not be popular with some players. "They're going to have a mess on their hands," the source said when asked what would happen if Valentine, who at that time was just one of several candidates, was hired. ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney had heard similar rumblings, citing sources Wednesday saying that "some Red Sox players have been upset" that Valentine had emerged as a candidate and have been "grumbling to each other, through texts and phone calls."http://www.balklanningaronline.com Valentine declined to address reports that some Red Sox players are upset that he emerged as a leading candidate for the job. Asked if he was surprised it took this long for him to get this close to a big league job after his firing from the Mets in 2002, Valentine told ESPNNewYork.com, "I enjoy every day of my life, so when I wake up in the morning I do the best I can. I think that's always kept me from worrying or being consumed with what I'm not doing. When I had a job, I wasn't thinking about having another job." Valentine, who has been working as a baseball analyst for ESPN, had been kept under wraps as a candidate after new general manager Ben Cherington publicly announced his plans to choose a manager from a list of five publicly announced suitors for the job. The Red Sox arranged for one of those candidates, Dale Sveum, to fly to Milwaukee two weeks ago to meet with members of the team's ownership group who were in town for the major league owners' meetings, and appeared to be Cherington's No. 1 choice for the job. But Sveum was not offered the job after meeting with the owners, and instead was hired by former Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to manage the Chicago Cubs. |
Leach to coach at Washington State
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Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is the new head coach at Washington State. The school said Wednesday that Leach had agreed in principle to a five-year contract. He will be introduced next Tuesday at a news conference in Pullman. Terms of the contract were not immediately available. Leach, 50, posted an 84-43 record at Texas Tech, leading the Red Raiders to 10 bowl appearances in 10 seasons. He was fired in 2009 amid allegations he mistreated a player with a concussion. He replaces Paul Wulff, who was fired after four losing seasons. ''I have always admired the tradition of Washington State,'' Leach said in a statement. ''It's a university on the move that is experiencing growth. I'm excited about what they are doing with the facilities and it's a team that has battled through some hard times and shows great promise in the future. ''I'm proud to be a part of this team,'' Leach said. He was hired by athletic director Bill Moos. ''I have spoken about the need to re-energize our fan base and take Cougar football to the next level,'' Moos said in a statement. ''I believe the hiring of Mike Leach accomplishes both of those goals.'' Leach was at the top of Moos' list of candidates, in part because Moos wants a high-powered offense at WSU. While at Texas Tech, Leach's Air Raid offense routinely led the nation in passing and set numerous records. Leach was offensive coordinator at Kentucky and Oklahoma before becoming the Red Raiders head coach in 2000. In 2009, Texas Tech fired Leach two days after suspending him after it was alleged he mistreated receiver Adam James, who had a concussion. Leach denied the allegations and later sued for wrongful termination. Leach has said he suspects an $800,000 bonus he was due the next day was the reason he was fired. In a separate case, Leach has also sued ESPN Inc. and a Dallas public relations firm, accusing them of libel and slander after he was fired. James is the son of ESPN analyst Craig James. Leach has been out of coaching the past two seasons. During that time he has put out two books, worked in television and hosted a satellite radio show. Wulff was fired after posting a 9-40 record in four years during which he was charged with rebuilding a downtrodden football program. The Cougars finished 4-8 this season, the best record of his tenure. Moos said Tuesday he was looking for a coach who would lead a high-powered offense that would win games, fill the stands at Martin Stadium and prompt donors to open their checkbooks. Leach would seem to fill all those criteria. Construction has already started on an $80 million project to add premium seating, luxury boxes and a new press box. Also on the drawing board is a $60 million football operations building. ''I asked athletic director Bill Moos to select the best head football coach in the country and I am convinced that he has done exactly that,'' WSU President Elson S. Floyd said in a statement. Leach was born in Susanville, Calif., and raised in Cody, Wyo. At Texas Tech, his offense led the nation in passing six times and three times accumulated the most total yards. In 2009, the Red Raiders were second in passing offense and fourth in total offense, with both marks tops among BCS conference schools. Defensively, Texas Tech held opponents without an offensive touchdown a dozen times under Leach, including seven shutouts. Leach spent one season as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma (1999), as the Sooners set six Big 12 Conference records. He spent two seasons in a similar capacity at Kentucky (1997-98), the only two seasons in school history in which it passed for more than 4,000 yards. |
Wazzu hires Leach as new coach
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Former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach is the new head coach at Washington State. The school said Wednesday that Leach had agreed in principle to a five-year contract. He will be introduced next Tuesday at a news conference in Pullman. Terms of the contract were not immediately available. Leach, 50, posted an 84-43 record at Texas Tech, leading the Red Raiders to 10 bowl appearances in 10 seasons. He was fired in 2009 amid allegations he mistreated a player with a concussion. He replaces Paul Wulff, who was fired after four losing seasons. "I have always admired the tradition of Washington State," Leach said in a statement. "It's a university on the move that is experiencing growth. I'm excited about what they are doing with the facilities and it's a team that has battled through some hard times and shows great promise in the future. "I'm proud to be a part of this team," Leach said.bröllopsklänning He was hired by athletic director Bill Moos. "I have spoken about the need to re-energize our fan base and take Cougar football to the next level," Moos said in a statement. "I believe the hiring of Mike Leach accomplishes both of those goals." Leach was at the top of Moos' list of candidates, in part because Moos wants a high-powered offense at WSU. While at Texas Tech, Leach's Air Raid offense routinely led the nation in passing and set numerous records. Leach was offensive coordinator at Kentucky and Oklahoma before becoming the Red Raiders head coach in 2000. In 2009, Texas Tech fired Leach two days after suspending him after it was alleged he mistreated receiver Adam James, who had a concussion. Leach denied the allegations and later sued for wrongful termination. Leach has said he suspects an $800,000 bonus he was due the next day was the reason he was fired. In a separate case, Leach has also sued ESPN Inc. and a Dallas public relations firm, accusing them of libel and slander after he was fired. James is the son of ESPN analyst Craig James. Leach has been out of coaching the past two seasons. During that time he has put out two books, worked in television and hosted a satellite radio show. Wulff was fired after posting a 9-40 record in four years during which he was charged with rebuilding a downtrodden football program. The Cougars finished 4-8 this season, the best record of his tenure. Moos said Tuesday he was looking for a coach who would lead a high-powered offense that would win games, fill the stands at Martin Stadium and prompt donors to open their checkbooks. Leach would seem to fill all those criteria. Construction has already started on an $80 million project to add premium seating, luxury boxes and a new press box. Also on the drawing board is a $60 million football operations building. "I asked athletic director Bill Moos to select the best head football coach in the country and I am convinced that he has done exactly that," WSU President Elson S. Floyd said in a statement. Leach was born in Susanville, Calif., and raised in Cody, Wyo. At Texas Tech, his offense led the nation in passing six times and three times accumulated the most total yards. In 2009, the Red Raiders were second in passing offense and fourth in total offense, with both marks tops among BCS conference schools. Defensively, Texas Tech held opponents without an offensive touchdown a dozen times under Leach, including seven shutouts. Leach spent one season as the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma (1999), as the Sooners set six Big 12 Conference records. He spent two seasons in a similar capacity at Kentucky (1997-98), the only two seasons in school history in which it passed for more than 4,000 yards. |
