After the New York Mets lost their season opener in Tokyo last month, a few players headed to Roppongi for some beers. On their way to hailing a taxi, one of the team's starting infielders turned to his teammates and said: "I'll tell you one thing about Bobby Valentine. He's the smartest mother (expletive) I've ever played for."
The New York media aside, no one is questioning Valentine's credentials as a major league manager. He's clearly one of baseball's brightest minds.
Bobby Valentine the man, however, is more goof than genius.
Last week, the 49-year-old skipper spoke to a group of students at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business. About the only thing he didn't reveal in his speech was whether he prefers boxers or briefs. Afterward, one of the students in attendance threw Valentine's comments onto the Internet, and so began another episode of "As Bobby's World Turns." The student later admitted that many of the quotes were fabricated. But the Associated Press obtained a copy of an audio tape of the speech and reported on some of his comments.
Among other things, Valentine criticized the Mets' front office for trading Japanese starter Masato Yoshii and not pursuing closer Kazuhiro Sasaki, also of Japan. He also said that he deals with outfielder Rickey Henderson by ignoring him.
Valentine must've been sniffing glue before he arrived on Penn's campus that day. Why else would he have spoken so candidly to a bunch of strangers? In his defense, the manager was told that his comments would be kept confidential. But that doesn't mean he should reveal dirty secrets to anyone with a decent pair of ears and a connection to the Internet. There's no quicker way to lose the respect of your players and employer.
Valentine said he was just horsing around with the students and he never expected his words to leave the room. At best, he's a nice guy who's too trusting. At worst, he belongs in the Bonehead Hall of Fame.
By now, Valentine realizes the enormity of his error. It's rumored that he tried to have a tape of the speech destroyed. He also unsuccessfully tried to stop the school newspaper from printing portions of the speech. The media in the Big Apple has grilled him over the debacle (nothing new there) and Mets general manager Steve Phillips even flew to Pittsburgh over the weekend to lecture his manager. Lost in the shuffle is the substance of Valentine's comments, and let's assume for the moment the ones about Yoshii, Sasaki and Henderson were reported accurately. He shouldn't have said what he said, but what he said warrants a closer look.
As far as Yoshii, he's right. The Mets' fifth starter is currently Glendon Rusch, a converted reliever who hasn't won a game since 1998. Why Phillips ever traded Yoshii (12-8 last season with a 4.40 ERA) to the Rockies remains a mystery. Last September, Yoshii did his best pitching down the stretch when the Mets, currently the owners of a 7-7 record, were fighting for a playoff spot.
As far as Sasaki, Valentine's right again. The Mets have a solid bullpen but they could always use another potent arm. Being new to the majors, "Daimajin" would've come at a relatively inexpensive price. More importantly, New York could've acquired the free agent from the Yokohama BayStars without giving up any talent. If the Mets had signed Sasaki and he earned the closer's job, the club could've traded away high-priced fireman Armando Benitez for some pop at the plate.
Having managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in 1995, Valentine is one of the best judges of Japanese talent around. If he was interested in Sasaki during the offseason, the Mets should've pursued the right-hander aggressively. The Seattle Mariners did and their gamble is already paying dividends. Sasaki has notched two saves in as many tries this season.
As far as Henderson, boo-ya! Valentine's right a third time. Sometimes you have to ignore children, and Rickey's as big a baby as they come. When the Mets were busy trying to win a key playoff game last season, Henderson was busy playing cards in the clubhouse with fellow-toddler and ex-Met Bobby Bonilla. Unhappy with the amount of playing time he was getting, Rickey did what he does best -- he ran. The career stolen-base leader might be headed to Cooperstown in the not-too-distant future, but he still has some growing up to do.
Valentine's comments about Henderson were personal. He said the outfielder wasn't "worldly" because he once asked to see the sports section of the Wall Street Journal, which doesn't have one. Maybe the manager was just trying to be funny, maybe he was trying to be cruel. In either case, Valentine damaged his relationship not only with Henderson, but with the entire team. Players need to trust their manager, not be afraid he'll bad-mouth them once they turn their backs.
This isn't the first time Valentine has made life harder on himself. He's done and said numerous things in the past that have ruffled the feathers of both his players and the team's front office. No wonder his relationship with Phillips remains frosty even on the hottest summer day.
After Valentine guided the Mets to the brink of the World Series last season, he was given a one-year contract extension (most managers would've received far more job security after such success). Had the Mets not beaten the Reds in a one-game playoff to get into the 1999 postseason, Valentine's rump would've been kicked out of Queens faster than a Randy Johnson heater. If the Mets don't match last year's success by reaching the NLCS, Valentine will most likely get canned. It'll be an uphill battle for Bobby since he doesn't have the weapons (Yoshii and Sasaki, for example) he feels he needs. At least now the whole world knows it's not his fault these players aren't around. But he lost some credibility last week by telling everyone in such a careless fashion.
At the end of the day, Valentine's a charismatic personality who's good for the game. People make mistakes and hopefully they learn from them. Let's hope he keeps his mind sharp as always, but his mouth shut. And please, Bobby, stay away from the college lecture circuit for a very long time.