At this point, it might just be better for everyone if Bobby Valentine was fired as Red Sox manager like, say, five minutes ago. But apparently he hasn't, in spite of interviews like this one on WEEI today. Per ESPN.com:

An impassioned Bobby Valentine on Wednesday called his first season as manager of the Boston Red Sox "miserable" and lashed out when asked if he had "checked out" on the season.

"What an embarrassing thing to say," Valentine said during his weekly interview on Boston sports radio station WEEI when asked by host Glenn Ordway whether he had "checked out."

"If I were there right now, I'd punch you right in the mouth. Ha, ha. How's that sound? Sound like I checked out? What an embarrassing thing."

Valentine also grew upset when informed during the interview that reporters noted he showed up at around 4 p.m. for a 7:10 p.m. PST game Friday against the Athletics in Oakland.

"Why would somebody even, that's stuff that a comic strip person would write," Valentine said. "If someone's here, watching me go out at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, working with the young players, bringing in the right relief pitchers to get a win, putting on a hit and run when it's necessary, talking to the guys after the game in the food room. How could someone in real life say that?"

There is more. Much more. Rarely does something that looks like such a disaster waiting to happen -- such as Bobby V managing the Red Sox -- turn out exactly as scripted. But this is one of those times.