Bobby V Wants To Come Back

There has been a snag in the Mets negotitations with manager Jerry Manuel for almost a week now. On Sunday after the Mets game, GM Omar Minaya said that something between Manuel and the Mets could get done early in the week. Then, his stance changed by Wednesday and now negotiations have stalled. It is Friday.

The snag could be over money and years, or the snag could be coming from some former manager from Japan. That's right Bobby Valentine!

In a report from ESPN, Valentine openly admitted that he wants to return to Flushing to manage the club he took to a National League pennent in 2000.

Valentine was asked: How much interest would you have in returning to manage the Mets?
"I am working for a team that needs me and wants me as their man," Valentine replied. "I love it here, but I am an American and love great challenges. I was a in a Met uniform in the '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000, and would love to be there in the next decade." (Marchand).

In a way, it won't be suprising if the Mets decide not to bring back Manuel. He was the bench coach during last year's historical collapse, and the manager for this year's repeat. That would put the Mets in the same position they were in at the beginning of 2008. Willie Randolph was on thin ice after the 2007 collapse, so much so that he needed to get off to a fast start in 2008 to keep his job. The Mets struggled and were 34-35 when he was fired on June 17.

If the Mets are a game or two under .500 in mid June 2009, who's to say that Manuel won't be on the hot seat?

If the Mets want to cleanse itself of 2008, then starting over may be the only option. Then again, bringing in Valentine would mean that Minaya would have to basically compete for his own job. Valentine is like Bill Parcells, a control freak who needs to have his guys in uniform. Remeber in 2002, when ex GM Steve Phillips brought in Mo Vaughn, Valentine was against the move. As it turned out, the bad moves of that 2002 season cost Valentine his own job.

Valentine has been in Japan ever since, becoming a cultural icon, almost as big as Godzilla. He won a Japanese version of the World Series in 2005 with the Chiba Lotte Mariners. He was also the subject of a documentary, released on TV last May titled "The Zen of Bobby V," which documents his large impact on baseball in Japan.