THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 6, 1994 TAG: 9409060147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Analysis
SOURCE: BY TOM ROBINSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 103 lines
With a little less internal pain and a few more one-run victories, Bobby Valentine's rookie season as a Triple-A manager would have been even more fun.
And it was fun, Valentine insisted recently as the Norfolk Tides' 67-75 season he was forced to leave prematurely wound down.
He was troubled by diverticulitis and facing surgery, which he successfully underwent last week. And he was frustrated by the supposedly good hitters who didn't hit at Harbor Park - Shawn Hare's .159 and Quilvio Veras' .221, for example - and the agony of one-run failure that finally ballooned to 29 losses in 43 games.
But as Valentine reviewed his experience, one thought kept coming up: He'd love to do it again.
``I thoroughly enjoyed this,'' said Valentine, 44, who has discussed a return to Norfolk with Mets minor league director Steve Phillips. ``Steve said he'd like to have me back, and I said I'd like to be back. We'll see what else pops up between now and then.''
The wildcard, as it has been since the Mets signed Valentine, is a major league manager's job. He would drop the Tides in a second - with the Mets' blessing - should he be offered the chance to get back to the big leagues, where he spent much of eight seasons managing the Texas Rangers.
Anywhere from New York, where in the media, at least, he has loomed over Dallas Green's shoulder since Thanksgiving, to woeful San Diego, Valentine eagerly would jump onboard.
``I'd have to say absolutely,'' Valentine said. ``I think it's blasphemy for anyone to say that they wouldn't take a major league job if it was offered. Who the hell am I to say no?''
Rejecting a coaching offer would be easy, though. Valentine's been that route, most recently as the Cincinnati Reds' third-base coach last season, and there's no question as to which job he liked better. Despite the perks of the big leagues, managing is still Valentine's niche.
Yet for all of his experience, it wasn't a case of a master deigning to return to the bushes and showing off his skills to the competition's wonderment.
Valentine can manage a superior game. Probably no International League team bunted, ran more when it was behind, stole third and pulled more three-man hit-and-run plays than the Tides.
They finished with fewer hits and home runs than last year's team, and only 25 more walks. Yet Valentine's Tides scored 80 more runs than Clint Hurdle's '93 edition, a testament to the manager's savvy.
Hurdle's team finished one game below .500, though, while the '94 Tides trundled in eight under, thanks to that atrocious record in one-run games.
Whatever success Valentine enjoyed, he didn't do it on cruise control. It was more work than Valentine admitted he was ready for when he talked last winter about the pleasures of teaching again.
For one, Valentine said he found it difficult to balance the teaching, so that prospects and non-prospects alike felt they received equal attention. Players got slighted, Valentine admitted.
Also, for a while, it was tough for him to switch from instructor to field general in a matter of an hour or less every day.
``I didn't reload well enough,'' he said. ``When the game was ready to start, there wasn't a regrouping early on. But I learned to do that and compete in the game.''
Compounding his chore was the small number of opposing players with whom he was familiar. That caught him by surprise.
``I was challenged by this, and I wasn't as prepared for it as I thought,'' Valentine said. ``If I came back, I'd be more prepared.''
The Mets say they'll take him again as is.
``We're definitely going to want him back,'' Phillips said. ``He did an exceptional job. He's great for the community and good with the players. He knows my feelings about the job he did and our desire to have him back. Once he's healthy, we'll sit down and work that out.''
An obvious impetus to return is the prospect of teaching and managing a bunch of the Mets' top young players on the way up from Double-A. Valentine spoke enviously of some members of the Binghamton Mets as far back as spring training, when he knew he'd be denied their presence in Norfolk this year.
Next season, though, really could be something. And the idea of a lot more gain - presumably with no pain - is attractive, he said.
``This is a great place to be in a baseball uniform,'' Valentine said. ``This town, this stadium and this organization, because next year I think we're going to have a chance to be one of the talented teams probably in the league.
``From what I gather, that hasn't been the case here (recently). It's been a long time since the Mets claimed the talent of the league in the minor leagues. I'd be excited about that.''
The Mets and Tides have agreed to extend their working agreement for three more seasons beginning next year. The clubs signed two contracts - one for the first two years, another for the ``option,'' or third year, in 1997.
The clubs have been affiliated since 1969, when the Mets moved their Triple-A franchise, which they then owned, to the area from Jacksonville, Fla. ILLUSTRATION: Color staff photo BILL TIERNAN
Despite a 67-75 season - which ended early because of a hospital
stay - Tides manager Bobby Valentine's exuberance is undimmed.
B/W photo
Bobby Valentine instructs Patrick Howell. Valentine said he
struggled to strike a balance between coaching and managing.
by CNB