The Red Sox managerial choice is down to Gene Lamont or Bobby Valentine.

The Pirates have endured 19 straight losing seasons, and only twice in that span have they reached 78 wins. Both seasons came with Lamont at the helm.

Wow. Lamont almost got the Pirates to .500. That’s almost like nearly getting the Red Sox to the playoffs, which got Terry Francona fired.

I have mixed feelings about Bobby Valentine. He gave a very good talk at father-son night at my middle school in the early 1970s, and I thought it was cool that a major league player would come to Bridgeport. In nine of his 12 full seasons managing, his teams finished above .500. He strikes me as a smart man who seriously thinks about the game and how to get his teams an edge.

What I don’t like is the Tommy Lasorda like showmanship. Valentine likes to be the star, and in my opinion, that’s not his job. On the other hand, Terry Francona never threw a player under the bus. Even when things were falling apart for Manny Ramirez, Terry would not say anything bad about the guy. Maybe the Red Sox need the polar opposite of Francona, if not in pushing strategy buttons then in managing the club house.

Given the two choices, I suspect Valentine will work better for Boston.