Bobby V Calls Out Youk

"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 in an interview for WHDH-TV's Sports Xtra. "But [Saturday] it seemed, you know, he's seeing the ball well, got those two walks, got his on-base percentage up higher than his batting average, which is always a good thing, and he'll move on from there."

I have defended Bobby V at basically every turn since he has become manager. I think he deserves a chance, and I actually went as far as to say his loud mouth ways was good for the team, because it made him the story instead of the players, but I can't defend this. It just make sense on any level. We ripped ownership for saying they didn't want Crawford, and that really isn't all that different from this. Why are you calling out a guy this early in the season? Does anyone really believe Youk cares less then he used to? I don't think Youk is a guy who would do that. He might be a shell of himself, but I would put that on his injuries from the past and the fact he is getting older. Yes, Youk is hitting .200 this year, but he also has 4 hits in his last 3 games with 3 RBIs, so the timing is odd.

Here is Youk's reponse...

"That's not what I see. I go out every day and play as hard as I can. I take every ground ball in the morning, take every at-bat like it's my last. I don't think my game has changed at all. I still get upset with myself and still get mad. That's just not how I go about my game of baseball. Never have, never will."

"I'm more confused than anything, because I think everyone knows I go out and play the game as hard as I can. That's just my style of play. I never was blessed with the raw tools … so I've always had to use playing the game as hard and with full effort my whole life. I don't know any better, so that's just the way I play."

Pedroia's were even more interesting...

"I know that Youk plays as hard as anybody I've ever seen in my life,"Pedroia said. "I have his back, and his teammates have his back. We know how hard he plays. I don't really understand what Bobby's trying to do. But that's really not the way we go about our stuff here. I'm sure he'll figure that out soon."

"Maybe in Japan or something," he said, referring to Valentine's stint as a manager there. "Over here in the U.S., we're on a three-game winning streak, we want to feel good and keep it rolling. We feel we have a good team and we've just got to get each other's backs and play together. Because if you don't do that, I don't care what sport you're playing, you're not going to win."

Pedroia is right. They are riding a 3 game winning streak against a very good team, and you decide to blast your starting 3rd baseman. It is very odd. Youk isn't in the lineup either (groin injury).