.510 winning percentage over 15 seasons. 1 pennant. 4 second-place finishes. Never won a division. Average finish was 3.7th place. .534 WP with the Mets over 7 seasons is respectable. .595 WP in 1999 and still only finished in 2nd is just plain hard luck. Still, what's all the ruckus?

Educate me.

Add to that he's quite a character (which is good for the interviews). He even had a documentary made about him, The Zen of Bobby V. I think he'd be a good choice. Hey if you think about it, the last winning manager here formerly managed the Mets also.

I am hardly the one to educate you Sluggo but I offer this for your consideration and possible edification:

There are, of course, his obvious accomplishments…he is the inventor of the wrap sandwich, his restaurant was featured on the Food Network, he is the host the "Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience," he is married to the daughter of former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca, who gave up the famous "Shot Heard 'Round the World" home run to Bobby Thomson in 1951, and he is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

My sources state that:
He has been in 2 NLCS with the Mets, won 1, and lost to the Yankees in the WS.

He was 581 and 605 with the Rangers for a .490 winning percentage.

He was 536 and 467 with the Mets for a .534 winning percentage.

His Chiba Lotte Marines won the Japan Series in 2005. Challenged the WS champion, White Sox to a 7 game series, the series was never played.

He is able to utter a series of connected, coherent, complete and comprehensible sentences in standard English. I like that in a manager.

I do too. And it is the difference between me listening or not.

Yeah, Bobby Valentine would be fine with me.

Just based on what I know of the personalities though, it's hard for me to envision Valentine, MacPhail, and Angelos co-existing together. Really, it's the Angelos/Valentine relationship that would concern me.

These aren't exactly ringing endorsements.

I think Valentine would be a good fit for this club, baseball-wise, I'm not sure how nicely Valentine's ego would play with Peter The Great's ego…maybe Andy would be the buffer.

I think Valentine would like the challenge of turning this team around, but if the scuttlebutt is true about Angelos not want Ripken to be involved with the O's because Ripken would get the credit when the team improved, then I doubt Angelos would want a savvy media exploiter like Bobby V taking the bows if and when the team improves.

I doubt any first rate manager would be champing at the bit to come here with the team as it is now and the reputation Angelos has with strong personalities like Davy Johnson, so if Valentine likes the challenge that the O's present then I think he may be the best we can hope for.

Here is a roundup on this morning's information vis-a-vis "Orioles Manager Search 2010."

Rick Dempsey has thrown his hat into the ring. Phil Garner hasn't been contacted, and the O's may be looking at some position coaches around the league for the job, including Rich Dauer and Bob Melvin. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles...0,1900471.story

Eric Wedge and Bobby Valentine are on the short list. Buck Showalter says he hasn't been contacted. http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles...0,7471046.story

In fact, Bobby Valentine may even be in the Warehouse as we speak, interviewing for the managing position. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...id=ak2DFD5vwjgA

I know that Dempsey has his supporters and at this point, it would be nice to have someone who actuall wants the job. I have never been a big fan but I feel like Dempsey will be the guy (because Angelos likes him or so I have heard, never asked him myself.)

Valentine would at least be entertaining which is a word that I have used with this year's Orioles club very often.

PUMA

There's two really big strikes against Dempsey in my opinion:

1. I question his baseball acumen. I wonder a lot how much he actually knows about the game and its tactics.

2. Angelos likes him. That's usually not a good sign since Angelos likes surrounding himself with sycophants.

The story that bothers me about Dempsey were the reports that he was taking information back to Angelos while Mazzilli was the manager and was openly lobbying for the job if he was canned. I guess you can interpret that as just wanting what is best for the club but it rubbed me the wrong way.

Could all be hooey but if true, not good.

PUMA

Hey Puma!
I remember that rumor too and I don't like that either, as Dan pointed out Dempsey's credentials for the job may not be that strong.

Never promote your rat.

I received this in an email this morning:

I can't see having the manager of the Orioles doing this at the same time. Just something wrong with that.

Even though Dempsey is popular, I feel like it is similar to hiring Perlozzo and Trembley. The only experienced manager we had since Davey Johnson was Mike Hargrove and well, that was back when the O's were offering bloated contracts to past their prime players. I think the O's really need someone who has MAJOR LEAGUE experience, and I don't mean they've seen the movie 5 or 6 times (though Lou Brown would probably be a good manager for this team too).

I have had a couple brief encounters with Rick during ST, if he is anything like he seems then Rick is thoroughly a good guy. As far as turning the club over to him, don't know, I would have given him the moon in the fall of 83'. I certainly can't say one way or the other how he'd do. I wish him luck on all fronts.
But, Bobby Valentine has a cool name. I like saying: Bobby Valentine. :lol:

Bobby Valentine sounds like the name of a person who would know how to apply a figure-four leg lock.

Just like Greg the Hammer... I love old wrestling references.

PUMA

Who was managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan! Probably how I came to associate Bobby Valentine in that way.

Bobby "The Brain"! Best manager and loved him when he did commentary. His insults were very un-PC, would probably not get away with them now.

Actually just now thinking about it, I'm pretty sure Jimmy "Mouth of the South" Hart was Greg Valentine's manager.

I'm still wrestling with the notion of a Christmas blues CD with a baseball theme?
Silent Night Game
Go tell it on the Mound
Jingle Balls
Oh little town of Baltimore
Matt Wieters is comin' to town
Jolly old Saint Pete
Little Bat Boy
Hark! the Herald Angels Score
Oh come all ye pitiful

At this point, I think they're going with Showalter. Allenson is my choice, but whover gets the team gets a pile 'o troubles and a lot of good young pitchers.

I think this seems to have become our O's manager thread.

My understanding is that they are bringing in Eric Wedge for a second interview. Rick Dempsey is getting an interview, although he seems to be a longshot base don what I am hearing and reading. Buck Showalter was in for a few hours last week.

It looks like it may be down to Wedge and Showalter. I also think they should look at recently fired Fredi Gonzalez. I have a lot of respect for him as a manager.

I saw on ESPN that Showalter says he really wants the O's job. I like him or Fredi Gonzalez. Both of these guys have fire and smarts. They fairly reek of command and I like that…it's what used to be called "force" on USMC fitness reports

Wedge never appears to me to be in the game and doesn't show much fire… but I may be put off by his facial tics. Dempsey is not on my short list either he'd probably be long on fire though, but short on command, from having spent too much time in the booth and hanging around the clubhouse as one of the guys.

I like it. Make him an offer. Now.

Showalter really seems to like taking on those rebuilding projects. He did it in pre-dynasty New York, Texas, and Arizona.

He will probably want a lot of control over front office decisions. Can't see him really fitting into the current player personnel decisionmaking structure.

I'd really like to see the O's bring in Gonzalez for an interview.

Showalter is a great fit for this team, if they let him bring in his own staff, and give him some rope. I'm not much a fan of Wedge and Gonzalez is waiting for cox to retire to take over the Braves.

Don Baylor anyone?
Or Melvin?

At this stage, the Os team needs a stronger, firey, control guy. So Dempsey (also without any real experience) would be on the bottom of a long list.

Showalter seems a good choice.

Only if they make him get an MRI before they sign him. Wait... wrong Gonzalez.

What happened with Valentine and the Marlins? I saw on Rotoworld he's out of the running for the job.

Stanhouse:

And in addition, surely there is medication to address that twitching hitching stuff (before he throws the ball). If his pitches had as much movement as he does, well, then we'd be talking.

I saw this article about Valentine and the Marlins: http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/sports/Bobby-...--97300529.html

Andrew,

That mound-rubber-mambo is like water torture. You know he is about to kick up ants in front of the plate for ball four and you wish he would just throw the damn ball and get it over with.