former red sox manager, bobby valentine, a little salty over boston's success.he red sox had not fired him, barnicle, he would have done just as well. he said, quote, i would like to think if i came back from my second year and gaven the changes and improvements i would have been able to do the same thing." >> a nice sentiment for bobby to have. we would all be having dinner tonight. >> a consensus among general managers as to which team will win it all, miami heat. lebron james selected to bring home the mvp award. >>> ladies out there, your lucky day. rob gronkowski, i guess people like him. i didn't know that. he is hosting a female's week. they will get an autograph among other things from the tight end and will be serving gronktinis. i have no idea. bill, i can toss it to you any way i want, but i don't know what else to say. >> the locker room will not be easy on him for that. >> he has gotten so much flack for everything -- >> i have the world series coming up here. >> okay. >> what the cold is doing to the midwest, the first freeze we have had. a lot of

bobby valentine hated to be around them. they had no choice but to fire him. >> the red sox can attribute their impressive furnish around to farrell's leadership. his team first attitude has permeated the clubhouse. >> it was clear that this was a group of veteran guys that have come from winning environments and we were getting a core group that was healthy. the tight knit group that we know of today started to experience some things and answer some challenges that we felt like we had a good team. >> but farrell's influence reaches beyond boston's clubhouse. of course he has had a tangible impact on the games, specifically his pitching staff. the 59-year-old skipper was the pitching coach and he held that for four seasons. farrell is one of the last of two pitc pitchers managing in te major leagues. >> if there is any part of exelz excels at, this is it. >> they go from worse to first to world series champions. >> john, to wrap up batting practice, carlos beltran expected to be in the starting lineup tonight. was there any

after the nightmare that was the 2012 season and the dismissal of manager bobby valentine after that one campaign, the boston red sox traded for toronto bluejays skipper john farrell. >> the players never warmed up to him, i'm not saying they quit open him but they didn't thrive, they lost 93 games, it was a miserable place to be, players hated to be around, bobby valentine hated to be around him. they had no choice but to fire him after one season. >> the red sox sported the best record in the league. his team first attitude has perm permeated the clubhouse. >> it was clear this was a group of veteran guys that have come from winning environments and we got a core back that was healthy. the tight knit group we know today started to experience some things and answer some challenges that we felt like we had a good team. >> but farrell's influence reaches past the clubhouse. he has had a tangible influence on the game specifically on the pitching, after all, the 53-year-old was the pitching coach and held that for four seasons. farrell is only one of two pitchers currently managing in

they were an absolutely disappointing tame under bobby valentine, under john farrell, high quality clubhouse leaders like shane victorino and johnny gomes. >> it's been when i say one of many it started with ben and reshaping this roster. it's been the attitude of the players that we brought in. so you know, whether you set a tone in spring training with how we want to go out and play, that might be where it starts but i've always said that the success of a team and particularly in this sport it's about the players first and foremost and in my mind it will always be about the players. >> the new blood with the core players david reed and dustin pedroya. >> the red sox are advancing. >> they are advancing and they are in position to be the favorites, based on everything they have done in this series. >> but the red sox are also playing for their community after the tragedy of the boston marathon bombings. >> it doesn't say red sox it say intoft. >> boston strong became a symbol for the city and the red sox. patches sewn into their jerseys. and cut into the outfield grass. it's going to be qui

bobby valentine was being run out of here on rails. they said the front office did a really great job and they brought in some young players. they've cobbled together a pretty good rotation. they haven't announced the game three starter yet. but the red sox are tied with the cardinals for the best record in baseball and everybody on lands down tonight believes that they've got a mighty good shot. they're favored in game one and boston is electric, even though it's a little chilly. >> not so much a question, but a little bit of an observation. i've spent a lot of time here in new york and we don't like the boston red sox too much here. >> nope. >> i understand the whole boston strong thing and the boston bombing. but i'm a midwesterner, i love the st. louis cardinals. >> i hear you. i'm from the part of the world where everybody seems to be a cardinals or reds fan. but the cardinals have that enormous radio network. i don't know about you. but when i was a kid that's how you listened to baseball. that cardinals radio network spreads acr

the players hated being around bobby valentine hated being around them, and they had no choice but tohe end of the season. >> just 12 months after they nabbed farrell, the red sox won 97 games, and they can atrib ought to the turn around to his leadership. >> when we assembled in spring training in fort meyers it was clear this was a group of veteran guys that were coming from winning environments. and the tight knit group that we know today started to experience some things and answer some challenges that we -- we felt like we had a good team. >> reporter: of course he has also had a tangible impact on the game, specifically on his pitching staff. plus farrell is one of just two former professional pitchers currently managing in the majors, and drawing on such experience is priceless. >> he knows these guys so well. if any part of the game he excels at, this is it. >> reporter: the red sox have undergone an extreme makeover and they have the chance to go beyond where's the first to world champions. >> michael, thank you. rebecca has the weather right after this. on august 20th, al ja

last season on bobby valentine. the team judged wept an extreme makeover. and pike napoli. this group right here, all year long, people doubted us and doubted myself. they come out here, and give them all. it's all you can ask. >> this trio understand what it takes to make it on to the biggest stage with four world series appearances among them. and they have added new blood and character to a team that truly plays and likes one another. backin spring training hes toed around two ideas of growing beards and now the red sox are a badged of brothers. >> this is the only team i have been on, where just the starting pitchers don't hang out. everybody happens out together. everybody had a good time. >> joining us now from boston is john henry smith. last night's win was extra special painful who suffered bruised ribbed when he robbed david ortiz of that grand slam, what is his status for tonight? >> well, after the injury last night, he had a c.t. scan, and he had x-rays they both came out negative. so according to john farrell -- i'm sorry, the st. louis cardinals manager, bell

when you look at where the boston red sox were last year, a near mutiny on their hands with bobby valentine at the helm. the switch is basically flipped, this team had the best record 97-65, that was tied with the st. louis cardinals. manager mike m matheni said he applies it towards his feelings that the they havfeelingsof thee with the red sox. >> john henry smith joins us, i appreciate the time. we'll hear more. >> can't wait, michael, appreciate it. thank you sir. it's almost an annual ritual of sorts, the announcement of ipad. apple's new version of its tablet is called the ipad air it's lighter and faster than earlier models. the new ipad mini will also go on sale and the company is cutting prices on the mac books and mac pros. >>> according to a new marketing study that came out last spring 63% of americans drink a cup of coffee. >> reporter: i don't drink coffee. i'm a minority. >> smart man. i wish i could get off it, i won't tell you how much i drink. >> reporter: a lot. >> plenty, but there was a bit of good news. the price of a cup of joe may actually be getting cheaper. we get

bobby valentine was a one-year experience, and he blew up in the face. they lost 93 games last year. the players didn't like valentine and he didn't like the players. a fresh face came in there, the pitching coach in boston. the players gravitated toward him right away and had the great communication. this clubhouse is probably one of the closest-knit clubhouses i've seen in 20 years. they all go out to dinner together and do things with one another, and he's been a great breath of fresh air for the organization. >> we'll see if the chemistry cares over to win. what are your predictions for this one? >> i think i've changed about ten times in the last hour. >> understood. >> i'll go st. louis cardinals in six games primarily because of the young 22-year-old pitcher named michael wacha. he'll pitch game two and game six if necessary. this guy is phenomenal. >> thank you for joining us. we'll see if that holds true. we look forward to wednesday. it should be a fun series to watch, and i like big papi coming back from the last time they won the world series

the red sox were an absolute disaster last season under bobby valentine, lose in 93 games. the team underwent an extreme makeover with the new manager john farrell while adding clubhouse leaders like shane victorino and jonny gomes and now the red sox have a chance to go beyond worst to first to world series champions. jon lester will be channeling his prefers postseason experience. >> i just remember nerves. i remember just the anxiety of just trying to get to the field and calm down a little bit. a different point in my career, too. obviously tomorrow there will still be nerves, all of that to be expected, but i think i know who i am a little more as a pitcher and what to expect for myself, and what to expect from the crowd, and all the different things that go along with getting started in the world series. >> now, this is a rematch of the 2004 world series that boston dominated four games to none. the cardinals will be looking for revenge. the second year skipper is a natural born leader with a laid back attitude and considered an excellent communicator. the 43-year-old

. >> they wanted him over bobby valentine, the general motors wants to hire john farrell. >> hold on. look at this picture. there's lewis taking the picture. is that a full on scarf he has going on there. he was wearing this long island thing. >> i want to point out, i don't have the shot, donny is not even on the set, you guys were all having shrimp cocktail in the front row and, you know, donny made fun of my seats before i was in the nose bleeds i was up in the monster. >> oh, tear lord. >> for the game. i don't get to hang out with the secretary of state. >> this is the amazing thing about fenway. there's not a bad seat. >> there's not. >> you're as lose to the field as anybody. you're in a bar stool at a sports bar. it's the entire field in front of your face. >> you saw victorino right off the wall. >> i thought i could bring something home for my wife. it was awesome. >> absolutely unbelievable. and it sort of -- you get vertigo following this team for as long as you do and they don't win and now we won three in a decade. >> i started believing when steven drew was hitting .09