SOUTH PORTLAND — New Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine charmed a crowd of several hundred baseball fans at the Portland Sea Dogs’ Hot Stove Dinner on Friday night and he did it without promising a return to the World Series.
Valentine, the featured guest at the annual dinner, told stories of his 40 years in professional baseball with equal parts wit, cheekiness and self-deprecating humor. He described again the tearful emotions of that December day he was hired to be the 45th manager of the Red Sox. He connected with his audience by telling them he played in a Babe Ruth League regional tournament at Old Orchard Beach as a teenager.
Additional Photos
Other guests included Charlie Furbush, the South Portland High graduate who reached the major leagues last summer with the Detroit Tigers before being traded to the Seattle Mariners. Red Sox catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Ben Crockett, the Red Sox’ new director of player development, also spoke.
The mood was lighthearted throughout. No one spoke about the Red Sox historic collapse last September and the team’s inability to make the playoffs. Neither was there specific talk of the 2012 Red Sox lineup and the team’s chances.
The sold-out dinner at the Marriott at Sable Oaks benefits the Sea Dogs’ Strike Out Cancer in Kids program.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.