CLEVELAND -Bobby Valentine would manage on Mars. He'd settle for Cleveland.
Back after six years in Japan, the former New York Mets manager had his second interview with the Indians on Thursday. The 59-year-old admitted he has a lot of catching up to do after being away from the major leagues, but would embrace the opportunity to take over in Cleveland.
"I'm a baseball manager and they're looking to hire one of those guys," he said. "There are only 30 of these jobs and I'm fortunate to be considered for one of them."
Valentine took the Mets to the World Series in 2000. He has a 1,117-1,072 record as a manager for Texas and New York.
Valentine is the second candidate to have a sit-down interview with the Indians.
On Tuesday, former Washington manager Manny Acta met with Cleveland's owners and front-office members. Torey Lovullo, the club's Triple-A manager in Columbus, is up Friday and the club is trying to schedule a meeting with Los Angeles Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly.
Valentine managed the Chiba Lotte Marines from 2004-09. He inherited one of Japanese baseball's worst teams and took them to a league championship in 2005. Valentine was adored by the team's fans, who held nightly vigils at the stadium and signed petitions when Chiba management refused to renew his contract.
"I had a six-year love affair with a country that plays baseball," he said. "Their baseball society is something that should be kept forever. Women play it. Kids play it and still have baseball gloves on their handle bars. It was a six-year magic carpet ride."
Valentine recently returned from Japan and has been working as an analyst for ESPN. He candidly admitted he hasn't followed U.S. teams as closely as he should have and didn't know as much "as someone who is interviewing for their manager's job probably should."
"I could have crammed for the last six days," he said. "But I didn't do it. I don't know about the American League. I don't know about the Central (division), and I don't know about the Indians. But I sure in hell am willing to learn and spend 28 hours a day, if necessary, to know everything I could possibly know."
Indians general manager Mark Shapiro has said he would like to have Eric Wedge's successor in place by the end of the World Series, but is willing to wait to make the right hire.
Cleveland crumbled under high expectations this season and finished 65-97, tied with Kansas City for last place in the AL Central, the Indians' worst finish since 1991.
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