To paraphrase the great Bob Ryan, "What's the fascination with Bobby Valentine"? Various segments of the NOG seem extremely infatuated with a manager whose career record is a less than impressive 1117-1072 (.510). He has one pennant (the Mets in 2000) and that team went on to lose the World Series to Clemens and the Yankees 4 games to 1. The 61-year old (significantly younger that Gene Lamont, at least), is regarded as part disciplinarian and part free spirit. Maybe his bad luck is due to the fact that he's Ralph Branca's son-in-law (impossible to make that up).But seriously, folks, is this the kind of manager needed by the Gang That Couldn't Drink Beer Straight? Maybe. Maybe not. What's really troubling is the seemingly rudderless search process—once comfortable with lack of managerial experience and now insistent that it's necessary. If Valentine had been the skipper during the past BlackSeptember, I guess he could have utilized his skill at disguise and slipped out of town. That's a plus.
UPDATE: Valentine confirms meeting with Red Sox