Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine spoke last week at the Japan Society on the East Side of Manhattan. He is the only manager to lead a Major League, the Mets, and Japanese League, Chiba Lotte, teams to the World Series of their respective leagues.
Bobby told many great baseball stories from the minor leagues to Major Leagues and Japanese Leagues. His life and career bridges the cultures from the time a Japanese surgeon operated on him. Japanese and American baseball preceded and survived WWII. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig played in Japan. While Bobby thought he was the first to wear a Japanese glove, it was actually Lou Gehrig. After his glove broke, Japanese players gave Gehrig a Japanese glove.
Japanese baseball fans are so rabid that they often quit their jobs to root for their teams in the summer. Bobby pulled no punches and gave a candid analysis of the game in Japan today. He was concerned that the custodians of the Japanese game are not making the necessary reforms. Sound familiar? We’ll get to that later.
Time for questions. Ken Belson of the New York Times moderated the question and answer session. An attractive woman near the front of the room asked Bobby if he would return to the Mets. Bobby shaded his eyes from the bright lights.
His answer: He felt like a "girl who got dumped". “It all depends...I would accept your offer,” he added. For the record, I would accept any job the beautiful young lady asked. :-)
He answered other questions with wit, humor, and honesty. When asked about George W. Bush, Bobby replied that he was “a special man” who was one of three people who fired him. He enjoyed working with President Bush when he owned the Texas Rangers. "I am Yankees fan too," he said as he had dinner with former Yankee and SATT buddy Joe Pepitone the night before.
As the question and answer period came to a close, I was finally recognized and asked the last question. I prefaced my question about the stewardship of the game with regards to what else…steroids. “If I truthfully answer the question counselor..." Bobby started in his reply. He emphasized regulation and enforcement.
"I am as much as fault. Tony (LaRussa), Joe (Torre), the commissioners office” taking responsibility for steroids. He wondered how Congressmen who may take “little blue pills" can ask players about steroid usage. He also said that "fans were guilty".
I was honored that to meet Bobby afterwards. We happen to share the same birthday, May 13, though a few years different.
The Tank’s Bottom Line: I am grateful to Linda for telling me about the event. I am grateful to meet Bobby and hope he comes back to the Mets. Most importantly, he helped bridge cultural barriers between Japan and America. I had the pleasure of meeting Ken Belson from the Times as well as Japanese and America baseball fans. One fan showed Bobby this banner of Chase Lambin of the Houston Astros.
Baseball helped bridge cultures and heal the wounds that followed WWII. Bobby hopes for a truly World Series with the MLB Champion versus Japanese Champion meet midway in Hawai'i. It would be a championship game for charity. I hope his dream succeeds.
Posted by a grateful Tank reporting live from the Japanese Society on the East Side of Manhattan.