NYT-1201: STATE OF THE ART A Thermostat That's Clever, Not ...

lso worked for the Red Sox.
"Bobby brings incredible passion and energy," Blak
e said. "In Boston, the Red Sox are such a religio
n. He will revel in that, and the fans will pick u
p on it."
The Red Sox will go into spring training trying to
shake off their historic collapse in September. I
t is a talented team with leftover issues — includ
ing players consuming beer and chicken during game
s — and Valentine will have plenty to deal with ri
ght from the start.
As was the case in Japan. Having already managed t
he Marines in Japan’s Pacific League for one year
in 1995, Valentine knew what would greet him when
he arrived there for his second stint in 2004 — a
lethargic fan base, a team expecting to again fini
sh dead last. Faced with that challenge, Valentine
over the next six years transformed the club, its
stadium and, to some extent, Japanese baseball.
By the time he left, the Marines had won their fir
st championship in 31 years, he had become the fir
st foreign recipient of the prestigious Shoriki Aw
ard for service to Japanese baseball, and attendan
ce at Marine Stadium had grown 400 percent.
When traditional Japanese baseball strategies work
ed, Valentine left them alone. "He told me, don’t
mess with relays, they know how to do it," Collins
said.
But Valentine also shortened workouts, told player
s to wear shorts during batting practice in hot mo
nths and instituted a day off every fourth day in
spring training — all unheard of in a baseball env
ironment where hard work is the bare minimum. He e
ncouraged players to grow their hair longer if the
y wished and even pose a little bit after a home r
un. Have some fun.