Wrong To Attack Kevin Youkilis

Trash talking Kevin Youkilis. A bad idea, Bobby V. Youkilis has more equity built up in the Red Sox clubhouse than you do. The guy is known for his commitment, attitude, hustle, and production, so going around questioning those types of characteristics, things that are in Youkilis’ DNA, is a gaffe at best, a thr0w-the-wrong-guy-under-the bus move at worst. And perhaps just another signal that The Curse of Terry Francona is spreading and taking root in the Red Sox locker room.

Yes, it is disturbing that Youkilis missed the last stretch of the 2011 season with injury. Yes, it is disturbing that he had a mediocre spring training. Yes, it continues to be disturbing that Youkilis is having a lousy April. But the insult game seems to be an approach that will not do more than anger the player rather than lighting a fire on him. After nine years in Boston, fans love the veteran third baseman, so they are not going to be on Bobby V.’s side. Teammates love Youkilis and the early returns do not indicate Valentine was saying something that was on their minds.

“I don’t think he’s as physically or emotionally into the game as he has been in the past for some reason,” Valentine said of Youkilis.

Ouch. You don’t want to hear that from your boss. That was Sunday. Monday, it was Youkilis’ turn. He said he was “surprised” and “confused” by Valentine’s meaning. “Everyone here knows I go out and play with emotion,” Youkilis said.

Valentine is not a buddy-buddy manager. He has always been blunt and he stirs things up. The Red Sox starting slow is probably not good for his peace of mind after so many years of being away from a big-league clubhouse except as a broadcaster. He was wildly popular managing in Japan and if he had stayed his old team likely would have deeded him Mt. Fuji. Instead, he accepted the Sox job, which might be an East Coast remake of Volcano.

Or at the very least the first chapter of The Curse of Terry Francona. The Red Sox exiled Francona despite his being their first manager since 1918 to win a World Series, never mind two. And things have been going wrong ever since, from personnel departures to injuries. Francona is so miffed he has declined to participate in Fenway Park 100th anniversay celebrations–even though he is scheduled to be in the ballpark for ESPN. So he will be there, but not really there. That’s one way to haunt your old team.

Fellow players are the first to recognize if a teammate is goldbricking. Sometimes they quietly hope the manager will blast the guy and get him going. This does not seem to be one of those cases. Just listen to Dustin Pedroia, the feisty second baseman, when asked for a reaction to Valentine’s comments. “That’s not the way we go about our stuff here,” Pedroia said, pretty much scolding his manager. “The whole team is behind Youk. We have each other’s backs here.” Translation, lay off.

Pedroia added another touche to his response on whether this was all about motivating and jump-starting Youkilis, who was hitting .200 going into Monday’s game. Pedroia seemed skeptical about the tactic, and none too subtle with a jab at Valentine. “Maybe in Japan or something.”

Valentine can bench Youkilis for being in a slump. He can juggle his batting order. But saying what he said is going to sting and it will linger in Youkilis’ mind whether he continues to struggle or he plays well. And if he gets back to being the old .288-hitting, Greek-God-Of-Walks Youkilis you can bet a million bucks he will never admit that Valentine’s remarks helped one iota. We’ll probably learn later that he had Francona on speed dial.

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