Roy Oswalt
Oswalt pitching for the Houston Astros in 2010
Texas Rangers
Starting pitcher
Born: (1977-08-29) August 29, 1977 (age 34) Weir, Mississippi
Bats: Right	Throws: Right
MLB debut
May 6, 2001 for the Houston Astros
Career statistics (through 2011)
Win–loss record	157–91
Earned run average	3.21
Strikeouts	1,742
Teams
Houston Astros (2001–2010) Philadelphia Phillies (2010–2011)
Career highlights and awards
3× All-Star (2005, 2006, 2007) NLCS MVP (2005) 2× NL Player of the Week

Roy Edward Oswalt ( /ˈoʊzwɑːlt/; born August 29, 1977) is an Olympic gold medalist and American Major League Baseball pitcher who currently plays for the Texas Rangers organization. Oswalt, a six-foot right-handed starting pitcher, is currently in his eleventh major league season. He spent the first nine and a half years of his career with the Houston Astros.

Oswalt has been considered for much of his career to be among the elite pitchers in the National League. After completing nine years (2001–2009), Oswalt has compiled an 137–70 record with a 3.23 ERA and a 3.58 strikeout-to-walk ratio (1473:418) in 1803.1 innings pitched. He posted a 20–12 record in 2005 with a 2.94 ERA, repeating his 20-win performance of 2004. He was the ace of a Houston Astros staff that included Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. He is also a three-time All-Star. On August 29, 2006, Oswalt's 29th birthday, he signed a five-year extension with the Houston Astros totaling $73 million with an option for a 6th year.^[1]

Early life[link]

Oswalt was born and raised in Weir, Mississippi, the son of Billy Oswalt, a logger and a Vietnam veteran. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Nicole, and together they have two daughters. When they were children, he and Nicole played T-ball against one another. At Weir High School, Oswalt played defensive back and wide receiver on the football team, which won a state title his senior year. He graduated in a class with 32 students. Oswalt attended Holmes Community College in Goodman, Mississippi for two years.

Professional career[link]

Minor league career[link]

Oswalt was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 23rd round of the 1996 Major League Baseball Draft; he was signed for $500,000 by Astros scouts Ralph Bratton, Brian Granger, and James Farrar on May 18, 1997.

In 1997, Oswalt played rookie ball in the Gulf Coast League, and played well enough to be called up to the Auburn Doubledays of the New York - Penn League.

He split 1998 between the same two teams. In 16.0 innings of work with the Gulf Coast Astros, he struck out 27 batters and walked just one. He was promoted again to Auburn, where he recorded the league's fourth lowest ERA (2.18).

In 1999, when Oswalt was with the Class A Michigan Battle Cats in the Midwest League, he suffered an apparently serious shoulder injury. After a month of pain in his upper shoulder, Oswalt was convinced that his shoulder was torn. Shortly thereafter, he was checking the spark plug wires on his pickup truck. He touched one of the spark plug wires, causing the truck's engine to start. The truck's electric current flowed through Oswalt's body, and consequently the muscles in his hand tightened on the spark plug wire. Unable to let go of it, Oswalt grasped the wire for almost one minute. Oswalt then claimed his foot slipped off the truck's bumper and he was finally "thrown off." After the electric shock, Oswalt told his wife that his shoulder's condition improved and that he no longer felt any pain. According to Sports Illustrated, he reported it thus to his wife: "My truck done shocked the fire out of me, and my arm don't hurt no more."^[2] Apparently, the electric charge loosened accumulated scar tissue in the shoulder. Oswalt claims he has not felt any pain in his shoulder since the incident.^[3] He finished 1999 with 143 strikeouts and a club-high 13 wins.

Oswalt began 2000 with the Class A Kissimmee Cobras of the Florida State League, going 4–3 with a 2.98 ERA before a player injury on Class AA Round Rock Express of the Texas League, got him called up. Oswalt was only expected to pitch a few games, and had been given a round-trip ticket. But after striking out 15 batters in his first start with the Express, manager Jackie Moore tore up his ticket. Nolan Ryan, owner of the Express and Oswalt's idol, admired his calm demeanor and his aggressiveness so much that he successfully lobbied to keep Oswalt on the roster, where he would go 11–4 with a 1.94 ERA, and recording 141 strikeouts over 19 games (18 starts). It was here that he met pitching coach Mike Maddux, who counseled the young Oswalt to be economical in his pitch selection by throwing more breaking balls and inducing groundouts early in the count.

As a result of his success at Round Rock, Oswalt was selected to play on the U.S. Olympic baseball team at the 2000 Summer Olympics. In Olympic baseball competition, Oswalt pitched in the semi-finals against South Korea, a game that the U.S. won with a walk-off home run by Doug Mientkiewicz en route to their surprising gold medal finish.

In 2001, Oswalt started the season with the Class AAA New Orleans Zephyrs, where he went 2–3 before being called up to the major leagues when left-hander Wayne Franklin was optioned down.

Major league career[link]

Houston Astros (2001–2009)[link]

2001–2005[link]

Roy Oswalt on May 1, 2005.

Oswalt finished his rookie campaign in 2001 with a 14–3 record and a 2.73 ERA, including a 12- 2 mark with a 2.82 ERA in his 20 starts. He finished second in voting for National League Rookie of the Year, losing unanimously to Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals. He also placed fifth in Cy Young Award voting, which was won by Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He won the Sporting News NL Rookie Pitcher of the Year Award. He pitched 24 consecutive scoreless innings before giving up a second-inning home run to Andrés Galarraga of the San Francisco Giants.

The 2002 season was another step forward for Oswalt, who finished the season with a 19–9 record, striking out a career-high 208 batters and finishing with an ERA of 3.01. He tied with Eric Gagné for fourth in Cy Young voting, losing once again to Johnson. From July 27 to September 8, he won a then-club record 9 straight starts before getting a no-decision in an extra innings Astros loss to St. Louis.

Injuries plagued Oswalt in 2003, but he still recorded a 10–5 record over just 21 starts. He started a no-hitter against the New York Yankees on June 11. Oswalt left after one inning, and 5 more Astros continued to no-hit the Yankees.

He rebounded in 2004 with the first 20-win season of his career, the only National League pitcher to do so that year. He went 20–10 despite a career-high 3.49 ERA, and struck out 206 batters. He finished third in Cy Young Award voting, behind his teammate Roger Clemens and, once again, Randy Johnson. He also made his first postseason appearance, going 1–0 with a 4.19 ERA in three starts and one relief appearance. He threw two complete-game shutouts during the season, both against the Milwaukee Brewers. He led all NL starters with the fastest average fastball, at 94.0 miles per hour (151.3 km/h).[1] He won the Darryl Kile Award, presented to the individual "who reflects the qualities of decency and character represented by" the former Astros and Cardinals pitcher.^[4]

In 2005, Oswalt threw a career-high 241 ²⁄₃ innings, striking out 184 batters and only walking 48 on the way to his second consecutive 20-win season – the first Astro to do so since Joe Niekro in 1979–80. He notched a 20–12 record, including a career-best 10-game winning streak from April 10 to July 26, with a sparkling 2.94 ERA, and was named to his first Major League Baseball All-Star Game as the National League All-Star Final Vote winner. He was fourth in Cy Young Award balloting, losing to Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals. In the postseason that year, Oswalt started 4 games and went 3–0. His two seven inning one-run performances netted him the NLCS MVP award, including a three-hit seven strikeout gem in game 6, after the Astros lost game 5 on a home run by Albert Pujols in the ninth inning.

2006–2009[link]

Oswalt went 15–8 in 2006, and was named to his second consecutive All-Star team, led the National League with a 2.94 ERA, and struck out 166 batters while only walking 38. At the 2006 trade deadline, there was a rumor that the New York Mets had acquired Roy Oswalt, but it was a false statement. He again finished fourth in Cy Young Award voting, losing once again to the ace of the Arizona Diamondbacks – not Randy Johnson this time, who had been traded to the New York Yankees – but rather Brandon Webb. Also ahead of him in voting were Carpenter and San Diego Padres closer Trevor Hoffman, who had set the career record for saves. On September 18, while pitching to the Cincinnati Reds, Oswalt recorded his 1,000th strikeout, becoming the eighth player in Astros history to reach this milestone.

Oswalt during the 2008 season.

Before the 2007 season, Roy Oswalt received the 2nd highest Pitcher Player Value Ranking from Sports Illustrated Baseball Preview Edition. He was rated the best in the NL ahead of Brandon Webb and Chris Carpenter, and was only below the 2006 Triple Crown winner Johan Santana. On July 5, 2007 ESPNews reported that Oswalt replaced an injured John Smoltz on the National League All-star team, making it Oswalt's 3rd consecutive all-star game appearance. He did not pitch in the 2007 All-Star game, however. On August 13, 2007, Sports Illustrated named Roy Oswalt as one of the 5 pitchers (along with Johan Santana, Roy Halladay, Jake Peavy, and Justin Verlander) in the Current Dream Team.^[5] On 26 September 2007, it was reported that Oswalt was suffering from pain in his left side and it was decided to shut him down for the remainder of the season so as not to risk a more serious injury.^[6] He finished the 2007 season throwing 212 innings, his fourth consecutive year of 200 or more innings pitched, a 14–7 record, an ERA of 3.18 and 154 strikeouts. For the second straight year he has suffered from a bad bullpen, which has cost him three to four victories on the year.

Although he started off the 2008 season slowly (0–3, 9.00 ERA), a solid second half helped Roy Oswalt reach his highest win total since 2005. Oswalt was able to accomplish this despite landing on the disabled list on July 19 for the first time since 2006. He also set an Astros team record with 32¹⁄₃ scoreless innings.^[7] He finished the 2008 season throwing 208²⁄₃ innings, his fifth consecutive year of 200 or more innings pitched, a 17–10 record, an ERA of 3.54 and 165 strikeouts.

Oswalt is one of only 10 major league pitchers who won at least 11 games in each year from 2004 to 2008, the others being Tim Hudson, Livan Hernandez, CC Sabathia, Derek Lowe, Johan Santana, Javier Vazquez, Carlos Zambrano, Jason Marquis, and John Lackey.

In 2009, Oswalt played for the United States in the World Baseball Classic appearing in two games. He was the winning pitcher in the contest versus the Netherlands, but was pulled from the semifinal against Japan in the fourth inning after giving up 6 runs.

Philadelphia Phillies[link]

2010[link]

Oswalt with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010

On July 29, Oswalt was dealt to the Philadelphia Phillies for J. A. Happ and two minor league players, center fielder Anthony Gose, and shortstop Jonathan Villar, playing for Class-A Advanced and Class-A respectively.^[8][9]

On August 24, Oswalt became the first Phillies pitcher to play a position other than pitcher in 39 years when he took left field against the Astros in the top of the 15th inning. As an outfielder, Oswalt acquired one putout; as a batter, he made the final out of a Phillies loss by grounding out in the bottom of the 16th inning. The previous Phillies pitcher to play a position was Bill Wilson, who played third base for a third of an inning on August 6, 1971.

On September 12, Oswalt pitched his first complete game as a Phillie in a 3–0 win against the New York Mets, allowing four hits and striking out six.

In the NLDS, Oswalt pitched Game 2 of the Phillies' three-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds; he gave up 4 runs in 5 innings, but the Phillies came back to win 7-4. In the NLCS against the San Francisco Giants, Oswalt won Game 2 by allowing only 1 run in 8 innings. Oswalt entered Game 4 in the bottom of the ninth inning, attempting to preserve a tie game, but took the loss. In Game 6, Oswalt allowed 2 runs in 6 innings but left with the game tied; the Giants later broke the tie to win that game and the series.

2011[link]

Going into the 2011 season, the Phillies' top four pitchers (Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Oswalt, and Cole Hamels) were widely touted as constituting one of the best starting rotations in history.^[10]

After a strong start to the 2011 season, Oswalt took a leave of absence from the Phillies on April 27, 2011, citing "personal reasons," namely to check on his family and home after a series of devastating tornadoes in Mississippi.^[11] He later spent several weeks on the disabled list due to a back injury. Overall, his season was considered to be disappointing, perhaps due to his back problems.^[10]

In the NLDS, Oswalt started Game 4 with the Phillies leading the St. Louis Cardinals 2 games to 1 and needing only one more win to advance. Oswalt allowed 5 runs in 6 innings and took the loss. The Phillies also lost Game 5, as Chris Carpenter outdueled Roy Halladay 1-0, and were eliminated from the playoffs.

After the 2011 season for the Phillies, the team declined his option, thus making him a free agent.

Free agency (2012)[link]

Oswalt was regarded as one of the top starters on the free agent market and was courted by several teams. ESPN's Jayson Stark reported that Oswalt, only 34 years old and very recently an elite pitcher, was holding out for the hope of a large salary from a team relatively close to his hometown of Weir, Mississippi.^[12] However, several of the teams on Oswalt's list were not interested, and Stark reported that Oswalt's performance in 2011 hindered other teams from offering the money he expected.^[12]

On May 29, it was reported that Oswalt had signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers.^[13]

Pitches[link]

This biographical section of an article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

Oswalt is known as one of the faster workers in baseball in terms of time between pitches. Despite his small frame, he is one of baseball's hardest hurlers, and frequently appears among the league leaders in innings pitched.

Oswalt throws four primary pitches. His fastball is consistently between 92 miles per hour (148 km/h) and 94 miles per hour (151 km/h), occasionally touching 95 miles per hour (153 km/h) to 97 miles per hour (156 km/h); he throws a high percentage of fastballs and is known to be very aggressive, at times throwing multiple fastballs in a row into the strike zone. He throws an overhand curveball at a speed of approximately 70 miles per hour (110 km/h) that is thrown with three fingers over the seams. Oswalt also throws a Vulcan changeup in the low 80s, which he added to his repertoire during the 2010 off-season, and a slider in the mid-80s.^[14]

See also[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

• List of Major League Baseball leaders in career wins
• List of Major League Baseball ERA champions
• List of Major League Baseball wins champions

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Vitez, Michael (August 29, 2011). "Baseball and socks appeal". The Philadelphia Inquirer. http://articles.philly.com/2011-08-29/sports/29941646_1_pants-socks-cuffs. Retrieved 2011-09-02. "Roy Oswalt wears long pants on days when he's not pitching, but always displays his high socks on the mound." 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Roy Oswalt

• Roy Oswalt's official web site
• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)

v t e 2000 Olympic Champions Baseball – United States Brent Abernathy Kurt Ainsworth Pat Borders Sean Burroughs John Cotton Gookie Dawkins Adam Everett Ryan Franklin Chris George Shane Heams Marcus Jensen Mike Kinkade Rick Krivda Doug Mientkiewicz Mike Neill Roy Oswalt Jon Rauch Anthony Sanders Bobby Seay Ben Sheets Brad Wilkerson Todd Williams Ernie Young Tim Young Manager Tommy Lasorda

Marece Richards (born September 2, 1983),^[1] better known by his stage name Rich Boy, is an American rapper from Mobile, Alabama. He is best known for the hit single "Throw Some D's". His self-titled debut album was released in early 2007.

Background[link]

Early career[link]

Richards dropped out of his studies of mechanical engineering at Tuskegee University in order to concentrate on trying to rap. Rich Boy signed a contract with Zone 4 through Interscope Records and started to work on his debut album.^[2] In the meantime, he snuck onto one of Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace compilations and on a few mix tapes, such as Comeback Season by Canadian rapper Drake and Da Bottom, Vol. 5 by DJ Ideal and Jermaine Dupri.

[edit] 2007: Self titled debut album

On March 13, 2007, Rich Boy released his self-titled debut album, with the singles "Throw Some D's," "Boy Looka Here," "Good Things", and "Let's Get This Paper". "Throw Some D's" reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and #2 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart. "Boy Looka Here" and "Good Things" both peaked around #50 on the R&B chart.^[3]

[edit] 2012: Resurrected In Diamonds

He recently released a single "Top of the World", part of the More Than a Game soundtrack album. Rich Boy's second album Resurrected in Diamonds is slated for a 2012 release.^[4] The first single is "She Luvs Me (She Luvs Mi Knot)" featuring Polow da Don and it was released on June 21, 2010. Dr. Dre and Polow da Don produced on the album.^[5] Rich Boy has also worked with R&B singer Lloyd and Young Money artist Drake, on a track called "To the Floor"^[6]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Studio albums[link]

Mixtapes[link]

Singles[link]

Dat Ass[link]

Dat Ass is an internet meme based on a still photograph of rapper Rich Boy that was taken during his studio visit to MTV’s Total Request Live in March 2007. The original picture reveals the young Southern rapper biting his lower lip while trying to listen to someone speaking in the audience. Since its inception, both the facial expression and the catchphrase “Dat Ass” have been used as a popular response to rump threads on message boards.^[13]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Rich Boy on Myspace

Dream Team in sport, often only as a nickname, may refer to:

• The roster of the 1992 United States men's Olympic basketball team in Barcelona
• Brazil men's national volleyball team under coach Bernardo Rezende since 2002
• FIFA Dream Team, an all-time all-star football team published by FIFA in 2004
• The Puerto Rico national baseball team in the 1995 Caribbean Series
• An era (1991–1994), in the history of FC Barcelona, a Spanish football club
• The Philippines national basketball team in the 1990 Asian Games
• The Dream Team (professional wrestling), professional wrestling tag-team in the World Wrestling Federation 1985–1987
• Dramatic Dream Team, Japanese professional wrestling promotion
• Super League Dream Team, award for players in the European rugby Super League
• Dream Team Australian rules football team, that represented the States and territories of Australia other than Victoria in the AFL Hall of Fame Tribute Match
• AFL Dream Team, a notable online competition for supporters run by the Australian Football League

Dream Team in television and film may refer to:

• Dream Team (TV series), a British television series
• The Dream Team (film), a 1989 American comedy film
• Dream Team (The Office) an episode of the American television series The Office
• The Dream Team (Entourage Episode), an episode of Entourage
• Let's Go Dream Team! Season 2, a Korean television series

Dream Team may also refer to:

• Dream Team (theater), a Stage Management Team located in Terre Haute, IN that worked on shows including Real Girls Can't Win, 1,001 Arabian Nights, and Bad Dates
• Dream Team (comics), a fictional group of Marvel Comics superheroes
• The Dream Team (warez), a cracking/releasing warez group for the IBM PC active 1989–1996
• LA Dream Team, American hip-hop act
• Nickname for the defense legal team in the O. J. Simpson murder case

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Bobby Valentine
Boston Red Sox – No. 25
Utility player / Manager
Born: (1950-05-13) May 13, 1950 (age 62) Stamford, Connecticut
Batted: Right	Threw: Right
MLB debut
September 2, 1969 for the Los Angeles Dodgers
Last MLB appearance
September 30, 1979 for the Seattle Mariners
Career statistics (through May 31, 2012)
Batting average	.260
Hits	441
Runs batted in	157
Games managed	2,240
Win–Loss record	1,143–1,097
Winning %	.510
Teams
As player Los Angeles Dodgers (1969, 1971–1972) California Angels (1973–1975) San Diego Padres (1975–1977) New York Mets (1977–1978) Seattle Mariners (1979) As manager Texas Rangers (1985–1992) Chiba Lotte Marines (1995) (NPB) New York Mets (1996–2002) Chiba Lotte Marines (2004–2009) (NPB) Boston Red Sox (2012–Present)
Career highlights and awards
2002 Branch Rickey Award

Robert John "Bobby V" Valentine (born May 13, 1950) is an American professional baseball manager and former player who is currently the manager of the Boston Red Sox in Major League Baseball (MLB).^[1] As a player, Valentine played for the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969, 1971–1972), California Angels (1973–1975), New York Mets (1977–1978), and Seattle Mariners (1979) in MLB. In addition to the Red Sox, he managed the Texas Rangers (1985–1992) and New York Mets (1996–2002) of MLB, as well as the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (1995, 2004–2009).

Valentine has also served as the Director of Public Safety & Health for the city of Stamford, Connecticut and an analyst for ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.^[2]

Early years[link]

Valentine was widely recruited out of Rippowam High School in Stamford, Connecticut by the University of Nebraska, Duke University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Southern California as a star in football and baseball. He attended USC where he became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity. The Los Angeles Dodgers drafted him number five overall in the 1968 Major League Baseball Draft.

Playing career[link]

Minor league MVP[link]

After winning the Pioneer League's MVP award with the Ogden Dodgers in 1968, Valentine debuted with the Dodgers as a September call-up in 1969 at only 19 years old. Though he never recorded a major league at-bat that season, he did score three runs as a pinch runner.

Back in the Pacific Coast League for 1970, Valentine was again his league's MVP after batting .340 with fourteen home runs for the Spokane Indians. Led by Valentine and manager Tommy Lasorda, Spokane won the league championship over a legendary Hawaii Islanders powerhouse.

Los Angeles Dodgers[link]

Valentine made the Dodgers out of Spring training in 1971, and batted .249 with one home run and 25 runs batted in. The following season, he managed to play in 119 games by playing many different positions—including shortstop, second base, third and all three outfield positions. His batting average improved to .274 in 1972, but he was not showing his early promise as a major leaguer, and following the season, he was packaged in a trade along with Frank Robinson, Billy Grabarkewitz, Bill Singer and Mike Strahler to the California Angels for Andy Messersmith and Ken McMullen.

California Angels[link]

Valentine batted .302 his first season with the Angels before falling victim to a gruesome injury. On May 17, 1973, Valentine suffered a multiple compound leg fracture at Anaheim Stadium when his spikes got caught in the outfield's chain link fence while attempting to catch a home run ball hit by Dick Green. Valentine missed the remainder of the 1973 season and the leg never healed properly, robbing Valentine of his speed. In 1974, Valentine made 414 plate appearances in the utility role, the second most of his career, and batted .261 with three home runs. At the end of the 1975 season, he was traded to the San Diego Padres.

"Saturday Night Massacre"[link]

Valentine only appeared in 66 games for the Padres when he was part of New York's infamous "Saturday Night Massacre." On June 15, 1977, the New York Mets traded Dave Kingman to the San Diego Padres for minor league pitcher Paul Siebert and Valentine, sent Tom Seaver to the Cincinnati Reds for Pat Zachry, Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson and Dan Norman, and Mike Phillips to the St. Louis Cardinals for Joel Youngblood.

Seattle Mariners[link]

Valentine's role with the Mets became even more limited, and he was released in Spring training, 1979. He signed with the Seattle Mariners shortly afterwards, and made his debut as a catcher that season. Following the season, he retired from baseball at 29 years of age.

Managerial career[link]

Texas Rangers[link]

Valentine was serving as third base coach for the Mets when he was tapped by the Texas Rangers to take over managing duties from Doug Rader 32 games into the 1985 season. He was not able to turn the team's fortunes around right away and the Rangers went 53–76 the rest of the way, finishing with an overall record of 62–99. The following season the Rangers finished second in the American League West with a record of 87–75. Valentine also finished second for AL Manager of the Year that year. Hopes were high in Arlington after the 1986 season, but his Rangers fell back into sixth place the following two seasons. Unable to replicate his early success, Valentine was fired by managing partner George W. Bush^[3] halfway through the 1992 season with a record of 45–41. Toby Harrah grabbed the reins from Valentine, and led the Rangers to a 32–44 record and a fourth place finish.

Chiba Lotte Marines[link]

In 1995, Valentine began his first stint as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines in the Japanese Pacific League. That season, the team surprised most Japanese baseball fans by finishing in second place (69–58–3), a remarkable feat for the Marines who had not won the Japanese Pacific league pennant since 1974. However, he was fired abruptly due to the personal conflict with general manager Tatsuro Hirooka,^[4] despite having a two-year contract.

New York Mets[link]

He returned to the U.S. and managed the Mets' Triple-A affiliate, the Norfolk Tides to an 82–59 record. He was promoted to manager of the New York Mets with 31 games left in the 1996 season, and led them to a 12–19 record the rest of the way.

Over the next two seasons, with Valentine at the helm, the Mets began a resurgence, finishing 14 games over .500 (88–74) both years. Valentine's most memorable game as a manager occurred on June 9, 1999. In the 12th inning of a 14 inning marathon with the Toronto Blue Jays, Mike Piazza was called for catcher's interference on Craig Grebeck. Valentine was ejected by home plate umpire Randy Marsh for arguing the call, and returned to the dugout an inning later in a disguise (a fake moustache). Unamused, Major League Baseball fined Valentine $10,000 and suspended him for two games. The Mets went on to win the game 4–3.^[5]

Valentine led the Mets to a record of 97–66 and a wild card playoff berth that season. The Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks in four games (3–1) en route to the National League Championship Series, where they eventually lost to their division rival the Atlanta Braves in six games (4–2).

In early 2000, Valentine was at the center of what would be called "The Whartongate Affair," in which he allegedly mentioned to students at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business somewhat cynical, insider comments regarding a handful of Mets players and the organization as a whole.^[6]

The Mets returned the following season, finishing the year with a 94–68 record and another wild card playoff berth. This time, the Mets would not be denied the pennant, winning the National League by defeating the St. Louis Cardinals in five games (4–1). The jubilation for the Mets would end during the World Series as they were beaten by their crosstown rival New York Yankees in five games (4–1). Valentine had an uneasy, if not volatile relationship with general manager Steve Phillips, who fired three of Valentine's coaches and selected the replacements himself during the 1999 season (in a move many observers felt was an attempt to get Valentine to quit) and eventually fired him after the 2002 season. Phillips was later fired from his work as an analyst at ESPN and Valentine was hired by the network soon afterwards (albeit in different areas of ESPN's Major League Baseball coverage).^{[citation needed]}

Valentine was popular with the Marines' fans

Back to Japan[link]

In 2004, Valentine began his second stint as manager of the Chiba Lotte Marines. On October 17, 2005, he led the Marines to their first Pacific League pennant in 31 years after emerging victorious in a close playoff with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. Nine days later on October 26, the Marines won the Japan Series in a four game sweep of the Hanshin Tigers for the first time since 1974. On October 27, 2005, Valentine issued a challenge to the World Series champion Chicago White Sox on behalf of the Chiba Lotte Marines. Valentine called for a seven-game World Series to be played between the American and Japanese championship teams. Unlike the World Baseball Classic, a competition featuring sixteen national all-star teams, a World Series-styled tournament between the winners of both the American and Japanese championships has never been played.

Following their Japan Series championship, the Marines won the inaugural Asia Series by defeating the Samsung Lions of the Korea Baseball Organization in November 2005. In 2008, Valentine was the subject of the ESPN Films documentary "The Zen of Bobby V." The film followed Valentine and his 2007 Chiba Lotte Marines team. "The Zen of Bobby V." was an official selection at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival. The Marines decided to let Valentine go after the 2009 season after an extensive smear campaign led by Korean-Japanese club president Ryuzo Setoyama, which ironically backfired & resulted in an overflow of support for Valentine by local fans. In the end, Valentine was fired, even though a petition to extend his contract was presented to the organization with 112,000 signatures.^[7]

ESPN[link]

Valentine accepted a position as a baseball analyst for ESPN. He had previously appeared on the cable network's Baseball Tonight show in 2003. He made his broadcasting debut for the 2009 American and National League Championship Series and World Series.^[8]

Bobby continued working with ESPN for the 2010 MLB season. He was interviewed for the Baltimore Orioles managerial position after manager Dave Trembley was fired in early June; Valentine later withdrew his name from consideration. Valentine was considered a front runner for the Florida Marlins managerial position that opened after Manager Fredi Gonzalez was fired in late June. However, Valentine confirmed he was no longer a candidate for the position after the Florida Marlins owner, Jeffrey Loria stated that Edwin Rodriguez, the interim manager they summoned to replace Gonzalez, will manage the team through the 2010 season.^[9] With the firing of the New York Mets Manager Jerry Manuel at the end of the 2010 season, Valentine had been speculated by the local New York sports media of returning to the team. It was also reported that the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners had interviewed Valentine for their open managerial job.

Valentine was interviewed by the Milwaukee Brewers for their managerial opening in October 2010. He was believed to be a finalist along with Bob Melvin, Joey Cora, and Ron Roenicke.^[10] The position eventually went to Angels bench coach Roenicke.

On December 1, 2010, Valentine, Orel Hershiser and Dan Shulman were named as ESPN's new Sunday Night Baseball crew for the 2011 MLB season. As recently as June 19, 2011, news outlets reported that Valentine was once again a candidate for the Florida Marlins managerial position after the ballclub free fell in the standings.^[11] That did not come to fruition, however, as the Marlins hired former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen.

Boston Red Sox[link]

Valentine as the Red Sox skipper in 2012

On November 21, 2011, he met with the Boston Red Sox for a formal interview for the open manager's position. On November 29, it was reported that Valentine would be the new Red Sox manager and the successor to Terry Francona.^[12] Valentine was introduced on December 2, 2011 by Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington. He chose to wear number 25 in honor of the late Tony Conigliaro, with whom he briefly roomed during spring training 1976 with the San Diego Padres.^[13]

Awards and honors[link]

• New Jersey Sports Writers Association "Sports Humanitarian of the Year" (2001)

Outside of Baseball[link]

Bar Owner[link]

Since 1980, Valentine has owned and operated Bobby Valentine's Sports Gallery Cafe, a sports bar that was not originally located in his hometown of Stamford. It was first located at 280 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk, CT. Eventually, it was closed down and moved to Stamford. He claims to have invented the Wrap sandwich. He claims that his restaurant was the first anywhere to serve a sandwich in a tortilla wrap. Valentine made this claim while his restaurant was showcased on the Food Network.^[14] Since 2003, Valentine has held an annual "Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience", a charity fundraising event featuring food from lower Fairfield County, Connecticut restaurants and a selection of wines. Valentine acts as the master of ceremonies and celebrities and sports personalities appear at the event. The January 2008 event, to benefit the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund, included both live and silent auctions and cost $150 to attend, with ticket sales limited to 750.^[15]

Stamford Director of Public Safety[link]

On Thursday January 13, 2011 Mayor Michael Pavia named Valentine Director of Public Safety for the city of Stamford, Connecticut. Valentine is to be paid a token $10,000 salary for this position, which he has pledged to donate to city charities.^[16]

Personal[link]

Valentine is married to Mary Branca, the daughter of former Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Ralph Branca and together they have a son Bobby Jr. (born April 23, 1985).^[17]

Valentine is a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.^[18]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Biography portal
	Baseball portal

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bobby Valentine

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or ESPN, or Baseball-Reference, or Fangraphs, or The Baseball Cube
• Bobby Valentine managerial career statistics at Baseball-Reference.com
• Official website