Baseball team desperate to keep Valentine after Japan Series victory: reports

[GaryMrMets]

Baseball team desperate to keep Valentine after Japan Series victory: reports

.c The Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's baseball champions are desperate to persuade Bobby Valentine, former New York Mets manager, to stay on next year following their triumph in the Japan Series, news reports said Thursday.

The Chiba Lotte Marines will offer Valentine a new contract worth over 1 billion yen (US$8.6 million; euro7.2 million) over three years, the Yukan Fuji sports daily reported, a day after the American manager led the team to their first Japan Series title in 31 years.

The Marines' management is especially keen to keep Valentine because he has boosted visitor numbers and advertising revenue, the paper quoted team officials as saying.

The Marines' four-game sweep of the series on Wednesday impressed fans across Japan. Akiko Domoto, governor of Chiba prefecture, where the team is based, announced Thursday she would consider giving the American manager a special citizen's prize - usually an honor reserved for Japan's Olympic medalists.

Valentine, who managed the Mets in their World Series loss five years ago to the Yankees, is the first foreign manager to reach the Japan Series since Hawaiian-born Wally Yonamine did in 1974 as manager of the Chunichi Dragons.

He is also the only manager to manage in both the World Series and the Japan Series.

Valentine has repeatedly said he will return to the Marines next season.

10/27/05 12:06 EDT

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[Timberwolf]

I still like to see Valentine in the majors. As much as I hate him personally, I would like to see him manage a MLB team. Dodgers should hire him. Tommy Lasorda has so much clout with the organization so you figure Lasorda would boost for Valentine.

[Timberwolf]

With Depodesta being fired as the Dodgers GM, I think this clears the way for Valentine to be the manager IMO. I hear Lasorda has been on McCourt's ear about hiring Pat Gillick as GM and Valentine as manager. Those would be great moves for LA. BTW, I give Frank McCourt credit for doing what he did which was firing his GM and his manager never mind they did well last year. I have so much respect for owners like that. It shows me that he is not content with losing and that he shares the same passion like me about winning.