Red Sox Come Up A Game Shy of 2012 Home Opening Sweep

Write-Up & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.wordpress.com

Boston Red Sox fans awoke Monday morning optimistic the day would bring a four game sweep in the 2012 season home opening set at Fenway Park. The Sox, however, were denied by the Rays in a 1-0 loss.

Boston’s new manager, Bobby Valentine, came under fire for leaving in Daniel Bard, described by sports pundits as a promising young pitcher whose performance was excellent earlier in day. In an interview posted on redsox.com Valentine defended the move though conceded it did not turn out the way he had hoped.

“Well, it was the wrong decision obviously,” said Valentine.

“It’s all building blocks, ” he went on to say.

The heat on Valentine follows a controversy he reportedly is being blamed for having stirred up, due to a negative critique of Kevin Youkilis on WHDH’s Sports Xtra in which Valentine said he did not think Youkilis was as “physically and emotionally into the game as he has been in the past.” Teammates are said to have rallied around Youkilis who did not play Monday due to a sore groin. Dustin Pedroia is quoted as having put Valentine on notice that faulting a player through the media was “not the way to go about stuff here.”

Maybe it should  come as no surprise that ‘shots’ were fired – after all game four did take place on Patriot’s Day which commemorates the battles of Lexington and Concord.

Also making news at Monday’s game was attendance by former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, on track to become the GOP nominee in the upcoming presidential race.

In the midst of all this, let it not be overlooked that the Sox did come up with wins against the Rays in the games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.