This is an idea being kicked around by the likes of Joel Sherman of the NY Post and Gordon Edes on ESPN Boston.
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/red-sox/post/_/id/21974/varitek-floated-as-valentine-successorPersonally, I like the idea. It brings in someone who knows his stuff inside out, works particularly well with pitchers (the biggest problem now) and would instantly command the respect of the clubhouse.
It's also a fantastic PR move by the Sox, as it would bring warm fuzzy feelings to all of Red Sox Nation, as we remember the glory days of '04 (and '07).
The downside? Well, if he's not ready, this could blow up badly in Varitek's face. He's not had managerial experience and expectations will be very high.
On top of that, I suppose one could argue that if Tek really controlled the clubhouse that well, the disaster at the end of last season never would have occurred. Still, in his defense, I think there's only so much a platooning catcher at the tail-end of his career can do to control other veterans. If he was manager, he'd actually have power to do something about it.
Overall, I like it a lot. I don't totally blame the ownership for wanting to get rid of Francona. At the very least, I understand why they thought he was running a ship that was too loose. However, I think they went too far the other way with the hiring of Bobby V. I think Varitek could be a nice combination of the two: a Doc Rivers of sorts who commands respect, but is still seen as a players manager/coach.
On a totally different note, I don't totally blame Bobby V. for this. As badly as it's gone, had this team not had the worst injury luck in all of baseball, they'd probably be in a wild card spot. Now, they'd still be a flawed team that probably couldn't win it all; however, no one would be calling for Bobby V's head and we wouldn't be having this conversation.