Red Sox Players Lead Coup Against Bobby-V

According to a report by Jeff Passan on Yahoo! Sports there was a secret meeting held between Red Sox ownership and some players, including Adrian Gonzalez and Dustin Pedroia, on July 26 to discuss disdain for their manager.

It's the latest in a series of bad relations between troops and leader in a clubhouse that is crumbling from within.

The report also suggests that their is not only a unified dislike of Bobby Valentine among the players but also grudges being held between players. The situation is a mess.

GM Ben Cherington confirmed the meeting although gave a very non specific answer about details.

"The intent of the meeting was to provide a forum for people to express whatever frustration needed to be expressed at a time during the season when things were not going exactly the way we wanted to on the field in hopes that we could put whatever issues were there aside and focus on playing games the rest of the season. That was the intent of the meeting. That was the focus of ownership. It was a productive meeting."

It's hard to believe the Red Sox are in worse shape in 2012 than they were at the end of last season when they completed their historic collapse but here we are. The team isn't performing. They clearly don't like or trust their manager. Changes once again will have to be made (both to the roster and to the coaching staff).

Bobby Valentine was the anti-Francona when he was hired by Boston ownership. It seemed like the right move at the time. It seemed as though it was exactly what was needed in the Red Sox clubhouse to fix any lingering issues.

It clearly has not worked.

Valentine appears to be the manager through the end of the 2012 season ... appears to be.

That will change come the off-season. The Red Sox will fire him and try to wipe their hands clean of an awful 2012 campaign. While it's the right move and it will need to be made is Bobby Valentine really the bad guy here?

Certainly he's part of the problem but what about the players, what role do they have in this matter?

Clearly the players think they run the show and own the clubhouse. Making Valentine a scapegoat only covers up deeper rooted issues. The next manager, whomever it will be, is going to have the same problems that Valentine has faced this season and that Terry Francona faced before him. The so-called star players who do not care about their job and under perform.

The Red Sox would be lying if they said they were not aware of these players who are causing problems. Ben Cherington practically begged other teams to take Josh Beckett off his hands at the deadline (apparently offering to eat a ton of salary to get rid of him) but to no avail.

DL'd SP John Lackey created another media storm last week upon being spotted in the clubhouse double fisting after a loss last week. In two seasons in Boston Lackey has been down right awful and like Beckett doesn't appear to care.

The two of them anchored the collapse in 2011.

So fire Bobby V, he deserves it. There's far bigger problems in Boston though.