Bobby Valentine to interview Friday
The Orioles will interview ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine for their open manager’s job on Friday, according to an industry source.
Andy MacPhail, the club’s President of Baseball Operations, is expected to conduct the meeting in Baltimore.
MacPhail has just started the interviewing process after firing Dave Trembley last Thursday and appointing third base coach Juan Samuel as the interim manager.
Valentine is believed to be the second candidate to interview, an industry source said. MacPhail did not immediately return phone calls, but it’s his policy to refrain from commenting on specific interviews. Valentine could not be reached for comment.
The Sun reported earlier this week that former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge will be interviewed, but that timetable has not been revealed.
Valentine, who is in the first season of a four-year deal with ESPN, took the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000 and won a Japan Series title with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2005.
Valentine, 60, hasn’t managed in the majors since he was fired by the Mets after the 2002 season. He left for Japan in 2004 and led the Marines until last season. Known as a fiery character and intent student of the game, Valentine managed 15 seasons in the big leagues for the Texas Rangers and Mets, compiling a 1,117-1072 record (.510 winning percentage).
He was the fifth overall pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1968 amateur draft and spent 10 seasons in the majors for five different teams. A career .260 hitter, he played at least one game at every field position in the majors.
A Baltimore native, 
Comments
I like it....this could be the guy
Posted by: Cereal Blogger | June 10, 2010 5:31 PM
Oh Gawd no.
Can't we find a young fire-eater?
Posted by: Jack | June 10, 2010 6:40 PM
Who was the first candidate to interview?
Posted by: Bonzi | June 10, 2010 6:50 PM
dan - do you really think valentine would be interested. personally i think he would be the perfect candidate for the job.
who would you say is the pick of the warehouse.
Frankly, is there any manager really worth his salt who wants the job?
Posted by: edfromparkheightts | June 10, 2010 7:26 PM
too old...
Posted by: Gary Thorn's Socks | June 10, 2010 7:29 PM
He's the second canidate to interview? Who was the 1st?
Posted by: jj | June 10, 2010 7:55 PM
How about Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke (Gary's brother)? His predecessor, Joe Maddon, has done a pretty good job managing the Rays. Mike Scioscia runs an excellent program for the Angels organization and has tutored Roenicke as he did Maddon before that. I hope MacPhail is not just considering retreads.
Posted by: Ray | June 10, 2010 9:28 PM
Definitely stick with Samuel through All-Star Break. If his record is within 5 games of .500, stick with him. If not, can him. Then, if he falls more than 35 below .500 in the 2nd half, can him. In other words, give him a shot if he stays near .500. Otherwise, bring in some young, fiery, a**-kicking wild man - not Valentine.
Posted by: Paul in FL | June 10, 2010 10:04 PM
Keep Samuel until the end of the season. The guys seem to respond to him. The Orioles also need to make more of any effort to hire people of color in their top positions. They are pathetic when it comes to diversity. They need to take a look at the NFL policies/practices. I get tired of the retread "good ole boys".
Posted by: emjay | June 11, 2010 2:23 AM
I know they won't do this because they want someone with managerial experience, but I'd wait until the end of the season and offer the job to Jason Varitek -- player/manager.
Great baseball knowledge; handles pitchers/calls a game better than anyone; would know how to beat the Yankees and RedSox; could turn Wieters into an all star.
I think we need to go outside the box.
Posted by: Cecil in Boston | June 11, 2010 8:51 AM
Don't count on any big name, successful major league manager, past or present...
No one wants to work for a temporary pay check signed by Angelos. Only a desperate candidate might be interested. They have interviewed many thus far and all have declined. Now the mention of Valentine is only a publicity grabber. Angelos should get out of baseball!
Posted by: Rick Leverrier | June 11, 2010 3:06 PM