Will he Stay?

Well that's certainly a blast from the past.

Personally, I hope Valentine leaves Japan and goes back to the U.S. I admit that I don't like the man - I think he's all about himself and himself only. I had a chance to talk to him at a Marines' game last summer and he was pretty pompous. I expected some arrogance, but his attitude took me by surprise since I went there with an open mind. In his defense, he was nice to little kids and old ladies. LOL.

I had read a ton of negative articles about Valentine in the U.S., but since most of the articles in Japan seem to be glowing puff pieces on what a nice person he is, I figured he's be somewhere in the middle. Well, I was wrong. When it comes to Valentine, I think he's more jerk than angel.

I'm not sure that he has that many options left, though. It sounds like he burned a lot of bridges and alienated a lot of people in MLB. He's better off in Japan where people haven't seen, or fail to see, the real Bobby V.

First, Valentine isn't going nowhere this time.

- When it comes to Valentine, I think he's more jerk than angel.

I take expection to that statement because Valentine is one of the better people in baseball.

- It sounds like he burned a lot of bridges and alienated a lot of people in MLB.

Valentine was fired because of Mets' GM Steve Phillips, which has left me clueless to this day.

I apologize if I offended anyone. I think that I may have been a little too harsh on Valentine. In his defense, he could've been having a bad day when I met him.

However, and this is just a coincidence, right now I'm reading a great baseball book by John Feinstein called "Play Ball" that covers the 1992 MLB season in detail. In it, he spends one chapter talking about Tommy Lasorda and I couldn't help but notice the similarities between Bobby V. and Lasorda.

It's a well-known fact that Valentine considers Lasorda his mentor and as a tribute to Lasorda, Valentine wears #2. I think Valentine also patterns himself publicly and privately after Lasorda also.

Take this passage from Feinstein's book: "Lasorda was warm and cuddly and fans loved him. Put a TV camera in a room and Lasorda would light up. Tell him that a national columnist was heading his way and he would crank up the machine and tell all his wonderful anecdotes. But catch Lasorda at the wrong moment, or ask him a question he didn't like, and you'd better duck. If Lasorda thought you were important, he had all day for you. If not, don't let the door hit you on the way out. This trait hardly made Lasorda unique among major league managers; he just carried it to extremes. Some called him moody. Others were harsher: They called him phony."

I don't know Valentine well, obviously, but that description of Lasorda sounds like it fits Valentine also.

Also, I recall reading in Goose Gossage's book, "The Goose is Loose," a chapter in which Gossage rips Valentine to shreds. Gossage spent the 1990 season in Japan with the Daiei Hawks and then returned to the majors in 1991 with the Bobby Valentine-managed Texas Rangers. Gossage said that Valentine wasn't very well-liked by his players, and a lot of it had to do with the fact that there was a double standard on the team. According to Gossage, Valentine treated Nolan Ryan with reverence while others were treated like second-class citizens. Gossage recalls confronting Valentine about the preferrential treatment towards Ryan to which Valentine replied, "Well, he's got over 300 wins." To which Gossage, who at the time had over 300 saves, replied, "Well, I've got over 300 of something also."

Gossage did have problems in Chicago in 1989 with Cubs' manager Don Zimmer also, so the fact that he didn't like Bobby V. doesn't make Valentine a jerk. However, it seems like Valentine wasn't well-liked by his players in New York also. When he was with the Mets he had one well-publicized heated argument in a hotel lobby with pitcher Pete Harnisch.

People, read the date on the original post! It's 1995. This is referring to Valentine's first stint in Japan.

Perhaps a Valentine's Day joke from Mr. Westbay?

- People, read the date on the original post! It's 1995. This is referring to Valentine's first stint in Japan.

I am sure glad someone was on the ball, noticing the date on this topic.

I have known Bobby for 2 years. I used to take him home after his show on ESPN. It was a pleasure to have him in my car. As you can tell from my screen name, you can tell what profession I am in.

We had many talks and I can tell you all, from the first time I met Bobby, he is one of the finest human beings I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Sorry, I was updating the format to some old articles a couple of days ago, and some required the whole thread to be updated (due to inconsitancies in the database from long ago) - which pulled them to the top of the display. I didn't mean to bring up the topic again. But it has been interesting looking over things I wrote almost 10 years ago when I first started writing on the Internet.

- But it has been interesting looking over things I wrote almost 10 years ago when I first started writing on the Internet.

And to remind you of an important anniversary coming up later in the year.

- Gossage did have problems in Chicago in 1989 with Cubs' manager Don Zimmer also, so the fact that he didn't like Bobby V. doesn't make Valentine a jerk.

Minor correction, but Goose was with the Cubs in 1988. In 1989 they got Mitch Williams to be the closer and lead them to the division title.

I stand corrected. You're right, Gossage was with the Cubs in 1988. I believe he was with the SF Giants in 1989.

In the book that I'm reading, "Play Ball," it says that former A's standout pitcher Dave Stewart also had problems with Bobby V. when he was with Texas and that led to his trade to the Phillies.