Amid urging from the media and public that he should be fired, Red Sox management issued support for manager Bobby Valentine on Monday. "I regret that they had to do it," Valentine said. "If our record was better, they wouldn't have to do it. Totally appreciated, though. They felt it was necessary. They think it was good for the guys." Boston owner John W. Henry, shortly after general manager Ben Cherington had expressed his backing for Valentine, declared the team's commitment to the manager. "We are not making a change in manager," Henry wrote in an e-mail to reporters. The Red Sox are 55-55 and on the fringe of the playoff race in the American League.