(Image Source: LA Daily News)

BY MOLLY HULSEY

Valentine’s Day is coming a few months early for the Boston Red Sox.
Two months after the team’s historic September collapse and manager Terry Francona’s departure, the team has reportedly hired Bobby Valentine.

Boston’s WCVB has details.

“He verbally agreed to the deal last night while in Japan. Ben Cherington of the Red Sox called him, offered him the deal, they have a verbal agreement. Bobby Valentine is in the air as we speak, when he lands, they’ll finalize that deal. That’s not supposed to be a problem whatsoever, and he will be introduced probably tomorrow sometime as the 45th manager of the Boston Red Sox.”

The Red Sox are looking to get back on track after their season-ending collapse and an offseason filled with controversy.

But ESPN’s Gordon Edes says there are questions about whether the team’s new general manager, Ben Cherington, actually agreed with the hire.

“The public face the Red Sox will put on that answer is that it will have been Ben Cherington’s choice. A bit of a tough sell, when you consider that Valentine hadn’t been on the original list and really didn’t seem to fit the profile of the kind of guy that Cherington would be looking for. It looks like certainly ownership had their stamp on this. They’ll probably say it was a collaborative effort.”

Will Valentine’s hire undermine Cherington’s authority? Sports Illustrated’s Joe Lemire isn’t sure the choice bodes well for harmony in the clubhouse.

“Cherington appears to have been circumvented on his first meaningful decision and now has his reputation staked to a man that he may not have wanted.”

Valentine inherits one of the most outspoken fan bases in the league... and they’ve been anything but quiet so far. A writer for the Boston Globe isn’t too happy about the hire.

“As short-term solutions go, this one ranks slightly above Rex Ryan’s lap-band surgery...The Red Sox humiliated their franchise, needlessly embarrassed their new GM and managed to inflict even further damage on their fans throughout this managerial search.”

The reviews aren’t all bad for the hire. Mike Williams, who played under Valentine with the Texas Rangers, tells the Boston Herald he thinks Valentine will be a perfect fit for Beantown.

“I don’t think there’s anyone that could compare with Valentine. The whole culture around that team is going to change in a heartbeat. It’s going to be all about baseball.”

Finally- Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal says-- who knows how it will all pan out-- but one thing is for sure -- it will be fun to watch.

“Now I don’t know if the hiring of Bobby Valentine as manager, widely reported on Tuesday night, will be good for the Red Sox, but I do know that it will be good for the media. Valentine comes with controversy wherever he goes. He stirs it up, he makes things interesting, and, oh yes, he’s also one of the game’s more brilliant minds."