It was probably inevitable that the Boston Red Sox would ban beer in the clubhouse for the 2012 season after what transpired with the fried chicken and beer incident. But then again, new skipper Bobby Valentine has had a no alcohol policy in the clubhouse wherever he’s managed.
Before the Red Sox held their first full-squad workout of spring training, Valentine announced to his club that there would be no alcohol in the clubhouse at all during the 2012 season. Also, he announced that there would be no alcohol consumption on the return flight to Boston at the end of the road trip.
Here’s what Valentine had to say about how the policy was received:
“You mean standing ovation or booing? I didn’t get either of those. Probably fell somewhere in between a standing O and a standing boo.”
Personally, I think this is probably the best thing for the team. The bigger question now though is whether the media makes a big deal of this by asking the players what they think of the policy.
Things are different this year. Valentine is in charge. With Terry Francona, things were a lot different. He gave them the leeway they earned from him.
Now they all have to understand that Valentine is the one putting their name on the lineup card.
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Photo credit: AP Photo
