Valentine notches first win as Sox skipper . . .

. . . as David Ortiz agrees to salary arbitration to return to Boston for the 2012 season.

Make no mistake, Papi was headed out of beantown. At the end of last season, Ortiz publicly declared his desire to leave the Sox as he stated he was tired of the drama surrounding the team.

After becoming the Red Sox's new manager, one of the first things Bobby Valentine did was make a trip to the Dominican Republic to chat with the award winning DH. Claiming he was invited by Ortiz' reps to attend Big Papi's charity golf tournament there, the real reason was to reassure the big slugger that he was wanted and needed in Boston and that things would be different next season.

Valentine has been a whirling dervish, meeting or contacting as many players as possible since signing on with the team. And that's some good pr for the new manager and a needed boost for player morale to see that the new skipper is going out of his way to reach out to them.

Bobby V's putting a smile back on the face of this Sox fan.