Where's the love for Valentine?

[Theoldmole]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/jon_heyman/05/19/heyman.valentine/index.html?eref=si_mlb

[Theoldmole]

From the article:

]According to Valentine intimates (and the movie), Bobby V was especially intrigued by the Tampa Bay job, as he loves to start from scratch. Instead, the Rays went with the erudite Joe Maddon, who's doing a nice job with the contending Rays.

What qualifies Maddon as erudite?

[Guest AG/DC]

]The knocks on Valentine are as silly as they are well-chronicled. Valentine is very up-front and very smart and isn't at all equipped to be a push-button Moneyball manager.

What does that mean?

[Theoldmole]

That means he might conceivably use the sacrifice bunt even if SABR says it's not the percentage play.

No wait...that's Willie....

[metirish]

Maybe the money Bobby is making in Japan is the problem , how many managers over here are clearing $4 million a year?



I do think Seattle would be a great fit, and Ichiro apparently respects Bobby a whole lot , he has some clout there with ownership .

[Benjamin Grimm]

I think there are a lot of people who never read Moneyball but think they know exactly what it is.

I don't see how it's at all about "push-button managing."

[Guest AG/DC]

metirish wrote: Maybe the money Bobby is making in Japan is the problem , how many managers over here are clearing $4 million a year?

Answer: no more than one or two.

[batmagadanleadoff]

="AG/DC"] ]The knocks on Valentine are as silly as they are well-chronicled. Valentine is very up-front and very smart and isn't at all equipped to be a push-button Moneyball manager. What does that mean?

I should read the SI article before jumping in. But maybe it means that if Valentine is the Manager, Valentine intends to manage. In Oakland, it appeared that Billy Beane was not only the General Manager, but also the de facto Manager, assuming many of Art Howe's duties and making many of the Field Manager's decisions.

(The Here Comes Trouble Alert!) Maybe Valentine doesn't want a Steve Phillips type to force him to play a crappy shortstop like Rey Ordonez every single day anymore! Maybe Valentine doesn't want some declining relief pitcher who's delusional about amassing all-time Saves to influence the Steve Phillips type into playing Ordonez because the relief pitcher who thought he was better than Armando Benitez cared more about one half inning of defense whenever he pitched. Maybe Valentine doesn't want to be forced to waste a roster spot on some washed up or washing up relief pitcher who thinks that the primary function of the Mets franchise should be to enable this relief pitcher to accumulate Saves. Maybe Valentine doesn't wanna manage some relief pitcher who whines and pouts because he's asked to pitch the 8th inning instead of the 9th and then ends up causing trouble and grief for Valentine because the organization is dysfunctional in that way. Maybe Valentine wants to manage relief pitchers who should be grateful that they get to pitch any innings at all, especially when they're at the point in their hypothetical careers where they are marginal and thus, very replaceable. Maybe Valentine doesn't wanna manage where he might have less clout then some relief pitcher or even a starting pitcher. Or any player, really.