Former Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine hired as athletics director at Sacred Heart

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Former Boston Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine has been hired as the athletics director at Sacred Heart University.

The university in Fairfield, Conn. said Friday that Valentine's appointment will be formally announced next Tuesday.

Valentine was fired in October after just one season in Boston, when the Red Sox went 69-93.

He managed the Texas Rangers from 1985-92 and the Mets from 1996-02, leading New York to the 2000 World Series. After managing in Japan, he joined ESPN as an analyst. Last month he signed on to be the part-time co-host of a weekday talk show for NBC Sports Radio that debuts in April.

Valentine is a native of Stamford, Conn. who worked as the director of public safety for the city before taking the job with the Red Sox.

Sacred Heart fields 31 varsity teams — 17 for women and 14 for men. The Pioneers upgraded their varsity programs to NCAA Division I status in September 1999. They are a member of the Northeast Conference. The school's baseball team, in fact, has made consecutive trips to the NCAA tournament.

A year ago at this time, Valentine was in Fort Myers, Fla., prepping the Red Sox for what they thought was a turnaround season. Valentine had taken over for Terry Francona, Ben Cherington had taken over for former general manager Theo Epstein, and the new-look Red Sox were off and running.

It never panned out. The chemistry never clicked, the Red Sox struggled through long stretches of the season, suffered a crop of injuries and finished in last place in the American League East.

The team is once again in Fort Myers, at JetBlue Park, this month. And with new manager John Farrell leading the ship now, it is clear that the Red Sox have moved past the short-lived Valentine era.

When asked his thoughts about Sacred Heart's decision to hire his former manager, designated hitter David Ortiz was short and sweet on Friday.

"Good," he said. "Good for him."