I love (insert name of Boston manager) and (insert name of Boston GM).

I feel kind of bad for Treey Francona and Theo Epstein. They've lost their honored place in the chambers of Mike Lupica's heart, replaced suddenly by Bobby Valentine and What's-His-Name:

"Valentine brings life and fun and even some nonsense to the whole thing now, in the first real week of spring training, whether he is talking about Derek Jeter and a play he made more than 10 years ago, or Jason Varitek and Alex Rodriguez getting into it one Saturday at Fenway nearly eight years ago. Or turning around the next day and doing everything except sending Jeter a bottle of wine as a peace offering."

The first real week of spring training.

When all the action happens.

Like a gaggle of Yankee players pondering who is going to throw pies in players' faces.


"Who knows how long Valentine lasts in Boston, and who cares?"

I know, but I'm not telling.

Lots of people care, particularly Red Sox fans.


"And seemed happy that he could still make a back-page headline in New York this long after he used to make them when he managed the Mets. And then, just because Bobby V never seems to run out of saliva, he talked about how much he loves Jeter as a baseball player."

Mike Lupica just said that another man never seems to run out of saliva.


"He is exactly the change they needed at Fenway Park. You heard all these names, so many of them uninteresting, when it came time to replace Terry Francona. Then Larry Lucchino threw Bobby Valentine’s name into the mix the way he would a lit firecracker. Now here is Valentine, back in play, back in the middle of the action, with the best team he has ever managed in the big leagues, even after what happened to it last September."

Get serious, Lupica.

Would it really have mattered who the Red Sox hired to replace Francona? Or if the Red Sox had stuck with Francona?

The Red Sox manager is always going to be the exact thing they need because you hate the Yankees and love the Red Sox.

Valentine could get dressed in a clown suit and toss babies and you'd say it's just what the Red Sox needed.