Bobby Valentine Was Almost a Ray

by R.J. Anderson on May 25, 2008 12:34 AM EDT

Buried in Topkin's numerous pieces this week is a simple tidbit mentioned in passing:

SI.com's Jon Heyman says the Rays offered Bobby Valentine the manager's job at $1-million a year before hiring Joe Maddon (for about half as much); the Rays say talks were just preliminary

Wow. If you can recall the Rays interviewed the likes of Terry Pendleton, Mike Schmidt, Joe Girardi, Alan Trammel, Billy Hatcher, Tom Foley, Bill Evers, John McLaren, and of course Joe Maddon. Valentine's name was brought up, but it seemed more like a media rumor more so than a factual observation. Of course the numbers were narrowed down to Maddon and McLaren, and just ask Mariner fans what they think of McLaren nowadays while Maddon has improved his stock noticeably.

Yet let's consider the what if aspect of Valentine being hired. Would he be as sold on the "Rays way" as Maddon is? Would the team have attempted to compete sooner, essentially repeating the Lou Piniella and Larry Rothschild disasters? Essentially would the hire have simply been for media attention and name recognition instead of a true chemistry and working relationship between all three levels of the organization?

Perhaps more intriguing would've been the possible increased Japanese presence for the Rays. Sure, we did get Shinji Mori -- he left us with a torn labrum, we (America) left him with a love of Hooters, go figure -- and Akinori Iwamura, but could Valentine's presence resulted in a Trey Hillman like effect? Let's not forget that Valentine is a legend of sorts now in Japan, the Rays Japanese audience would've grown substantially.

Valentine is likely even to Maddon in terms of strategic ability without an airport next to the stadium, but with a clear advantage in vinegar. A lot of people screamed for this during the past two years from Maddon, and as seemingly expected Maddon has all but dropped the "kid gloves" this year while maintaining his commitment to protecting players in the media.

Would Valentine have forced the team to improve quicker, if such a thing was possible?

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Comments

I love Bobby Valentine and think he’s a tremendously intelligent manager who would have done well here.. better than Maddon? It all depends on the details of which only a handful of people know. It’s hard to argue with a guy who’s sitting on the best record in franchise history. You certainly don’t see the mocking Maddon comments these days.

Longlorious.

by RATW on May 25, 2008 12:55 AM EDT reply actions

I am a big fan of Valentine and think he would have been a good fit with the Rays. I don’t know if having an established manager would have forced the Rays

by save_the_trop on May 25, 2008 7:50 AM EDT reply actions

sorry about that...

to attempt to compete sooner, but I do know that there was very little chance of Valentine leaving Japan. He absolutely loves living and coaching there, but no harm in trying. The idea of him bringing an increased Japanese presence is intriguing, and for that reason I would love to see some team lure him back to MLB just to see the results.

by save_the_trop on May 25, 2008 8:02 AM EDT reply actions

It’s also pertinent to consider the price of Maddon, though. At half the cost, who knows what players we have been able to retain because of that. Granted, half a million doesn’t go far in pro athletics, but it’s an interesting thought.

B Rad the Ray Fan

by BWoodrum on May 25, 2008 10:05 AM EDT reply actions

Valentine

I think he would have been a distraction. I think he likes to be the show, and I think he wears on players. He’s like Sweet Lou w/o the winning pedigree. I’m happy with Maddon because he has allowed them to truly develop a winning foundation through the “Rays way” approach.

by rglass44 on May 26, 2008 11:43 AM EDT reply actions