Later Wednesday, the Post's website led with "Fenway Feedback" and a story about Red Sox players "grumbling" over Valentine's hire. Columnist Joel Sherman wrote about how the Red Sox have become the "George Steinbrenner Yankees" under the headline: "Red Sox get their lightning rod with Valentine." We won't expect any candy or flowers for this Valentine from anyone in Gotham.
Newsday opted for a more literal alliteration of Valentine's new city and first name with "Beantown Bobby" on its back cover:
The New York Daily News gave Valentine's hire this strip-across-the-top treatment on its back page:
This was this ominous take from the newyorkdailynews.com bitterbill blog: "Mets fans know what Red Sox are getting in Bobby Valentine" And I thought I was the only "bitter Bill" on the internet.
Daily News columnist Filip Bondy offered: "Be their Valentine" on his blog.
Mike Lupica's New York Daily News column solicited a Sox throw Boston 'V' Party" headline on the newspaper's web site. Lupica wrote of the move:
"You never need much to make the Red Sox vs. the Yankees better, with the possible exception of shortening some of their games by about an hour. But you have to know the whole thing gets more interesting now with Bobby Valentine, who comes back from a trip to Japan to take the job of managing the Red Sox. A lot of things happen when it becomes official, starting here: Bobby V. gets the best team he has ever had. In this country or in Japan, where he became such a star after leaving the Mets."
Boston.com led with "It's Valentine's Day" and Boston Dirt Dogs declared: "V as in Victor." Fox's Ken Rosenthal posted a You Tube video under the simple headline (note lower-case 'd'): "Valentine's day."
The Boston Herald (at right) had Valentine on the front and back covers, and got a 2-for-1 wordplay with his hire on Page 1 using "BOBBY SOX" and "VALENTINE DAY" on its refer package and "HE'S THE ONE" on the back page.
