FanHouse Bobby Valentine

To me, the playoffs mean one thing: the wise decision-making skills of Cleveland Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro! After firing Jim Thome/snapping turtle hybrid Eric Wedge as the Tribe head coach, Shapiro has really gotten down in the dirt to find a new skipper, looking in the only place you're allowed: the big recycling bin of failed coaches who didn't do a good job somewhere else and were fired by someone else. Why they sound PERFECT!

Fun fact: That guy in the photo to the right was eating in Heritage Park and just throwing his trash on the ground. Thanks a lot for your contributions, Cy Young! Have an eighth of a hot dog!

Tonight's Dugout is after the jump.

The Indians' managerial search has apparently whittled its way down to just three names after a round of phone interviews last week. Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Indians have called Bobby Valentine, Manny Acta, and Travis Fryman to Cleveland for a second round of interviews and that GM Mark Shapiro is likely to name a manager before the World Series ends.

Valentine's name is the big one that's obviously going to get people talking. He's got over 1,000 career wins and a National League pennant over his 15-year career with the Rangers and the Mets, plus a Japanese Series title in 2005 with the Chiba Lotte Marines. It's been rumored that he's made it clear there are teams he won't manage for in 2010, so presumably the Indians are a job he would want.

Since Bobby Valentine led the Chiba Lotte Marines to a title in Japan in 2005, his name has been associated with just about every major league managerial position that's come open. For the most part, that's only been because dreaming fans want to see Bobby V. coach their team. Now, though, he's back in the States and MLB teams are falling all over themselves to try and hire him.

The thing is, the same thing is happening across the Pacific. Ken Rosenthal is reporting Sunday that the Yokohoma Bay Stars are trying to convince Valentine to go back to Japan for the 2010 season. He also reports that Valentine's not interested in going to Washington or Houston, though it's been reported elsewhere that he might be interested in Cleveland's vacant position. So while it does seem clear that Valentine's interested in managing somewhere in 2010, it's just not apparent where that might be.

Last February, Florida Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez signed an extension that would keep him in Miami until 2011, and after his team finished the season in second place in the NL East you wouldn't think there'd be any reason why the team wouldn't honor that contract. Then word broke out that the Marlins were interviewing Bobby Valentine for a position with the team, but they wouldn't say what that position was.

This fueled speculation that Gonzalez wasn't going to be back for the 2010 season, but on Tuesday sources confirmed that Fredi has nothing to worry about.

Every Sunday, MLB FanHouse empties out its notebook in Baseball Brunch.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Johan Santana had never seen the Metrodome before the Twins took him from Single-A in the Rule 5 draft.

"When I first got there," Santana told FanHouse, "my first impression was, 'How can you play baseball in a place like this?'

"I came from Single-A and from Venezuela, and we don't have any of that stuff. ... I couldn't figure it out. How could this thing [the roof] be up in the air? And then it feels like you're in a bubble. And then you play baseball."

LOS ANGELES -- Weary of the genius one cubicle over who thinks it perfectly acceptable to fill out his bracket in pencil, with liberal use of the eraser? Tired of the friend who swears she follows college basketball but still can't pronounce Gonzaga? Think it's about time someone gagged Dick Vitale with a rosin bag?

We mentioned last month that Bobby Valentine is entering the final year of his contract in Japan and how he had his sights set on returning to the major leagues. Nothing has really changed in that regard, but a recent profile of him in the Stamford Advocate has Peter Abraham of the Journal News thinking ahead:

Joe Girardi is going to get every chance to succeed from the Yankees. Brian Cashman wanted him, as did Hal Steinbrenner. But the Yankees can't tolerate another season out of the playoffs. Their business model pretty much demands a postseason appearance.

[...] There will be no shortage of candidates to manage the Yankees if Girardi falters. But keep an eye on Valentine.

Is there anything actually linking Valentine and the Yankees? Absolutely not. But after investing $423 million in Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett this winter, you don't need a wiretap on Brian Cashman's phone to realize Girardi will be on the hot seat from Day 1 this year. And while choosing a manager who's been overseas the last several years may not be the most conventional choice to take over the Yankees, few options have as much experience winning in New York as Valentine. He posted a winning record in five of the six full seasons he managed the Mets.

Again, don't expect anything to come of this now, but file it away in the back of your mind just in case the Yankees spend yet another October watching from home.

Ever since being fired by the Mets in 2002, Bobby Valentine has managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan's professional league. He's entering the fourth and final season of his contract with the Marines, and the word out of Tokyo today is that the team has decided against offering him an extension. "They just wanted to go in a different direction," Valentine told the Associated Press.

Sure, that's one theory; another theory is that Valentine is the one who wanted to head in a different direction -- as in east, across the Pacific and back to the major leagues. Back in October we heard rumblings that he was setting the stage for a comeback (reportedly, he was emailing a few "future" GMs in hopes of keeping his name on everybody's radar) and this seems to put him one step closer to making that a reality.

Valentine won more games than he lost over 15 seasons with the Rangers and Mets, and since he's been in Japan he ended a 31-year drought by leading the Marines to the Pacific League pennant. He has a flamboyant personality that doesn't mesh with everybody, but on a rebuilding team looking for faces to market (and someone to play along with silly team promotions), he at least deserves an interview.

With the World Series and the eventual end of the MLB season on the horizon, the rumor mill is going to officially start heating up. One of the interesting things to watch this winter is who Doug Melvin chooses to succeed Ned Yost as manager in Milwaukee. He's considering interim manager Dale Sveum, who held his finger in the dike long enough to get the Brewers to the playoffs, but according to Melvin, the Brewers' open job is attracting lots of interest:

"We're a little more attractive club now than we were in 2003 (Melvin's first year as GM). I'm getting some people reaching out and saying they're interested in the position.

"I've got to make sure I explore some of these situations. I'm looking at more experience there. Dale has the advantage of familiarity."

Melvin won't go on to say who the people contacting him are, but the Journal Sentinel engages in wild speculation anyways and names every boring ex-manager still even remotely tied to the game. The only name Melvin refutes is the only interesting one: Bobby Valentine. It's pretty clear why the Brewers job would be so popular. Despite likely losing CC Sabathia and Ben Sheets to free agency, they've got a lot of good young talent and Melvin is a good GM that should have them in contention for years to come. Compared to the Mariners' open job, getting tabbed to run the Brewers is like hitting the lottery.

It seems that everytime there's a managerial opening in baseball during the winter, the name Bobby Valentine comes up as a possible replacement. Ever since he left the New York Mets in 2002, Bobby has been across the Pacific Ocean managing the Chibe Lotte Marines, but that hasn't stopped his name from popping up in various places. Of course, it hasn't come to fruition because Bobby is still in Japan.

Well, it looks like Bobby has had just about enough karaoke and crazy television game shows, because word is out that he's been calling a few people back here to let them know he's available.

We're hearing more and more that Bobby Valentine, 58, is sending out feelers to return to the States to manage. He earns $1.5 million per year managing the Chibe Lotte Marines but appears to be growing weary of Japan and would love to return home to manage. "I know he's sent e-mails to a few 'future' GMs," said an American League scout. Valentine reportedly was interested in returning to the Mets, but they ended up retaining Jerry Manuel. He now has his sights set on Seattle, while Milwaukee also could be a possibility.

Why anybody would want to take over the Mariners managing job, I have no idea, but Milwaukee may be a good fit for Valentine if the Brewers choose to let Dale Sveum go.