CLEVELANDBobby Valentine made it clear during his Friday pregame meeting that Red Sox starter John Lackey didnt break any rules while stalking around the clubhouse with a can of Bud Light in each of his hands following Thursday nights loss to the Indians.
Or double-fisting as its known in the parlance of college frat party circles.
The Sox skipper instead pointed to a mini-fridge behind him complete with Bud Light and Blue Moon beer, and said that an inspection of his office hours after the game would have revealed the same thing.
"That's beer right there," said Valentine to a group of reporters with a smile on his face. "If you came in here last night, you would have seen a pretty heaping pile of empty bottles by the time I left. And I dare say there were a whole bunch of games this year at home that I would have liked to have the ability to make a big pile.
The Sox have banned alcohol from the home clubhouse since the beginning of the year after Lackey, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester were at the center of a chicken and beer controversy that helped color the worst September collapse in Major League Baseball history. While Lackey wasnt breaking any team rules with his behavior it also shows a pretty clear lack of good judgment on his part given his leading role in the accounts of last years wild and unruly clubhouse.
A player like Lackey recovering from Tommy John surgery is allowed to travel with the team per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but its ultimately the call of Red Sox management whether an injured player is allowed to go on every road trip in a season hes not expected to pitch.
It should be noted that many of Lackeys teammates were vocal and undeniable in support for their teammate while maintaining that the pitcher is the one most responsible for keeping things light on the road.