Ex-New York Mets Manager In a Race for Stamford Mayor

At one time Bobby Valentine was one of the brightest up and coming stars in the game of baseball. Injuries hampered those expectations and a new career in coaching and managing began. Valentine had great success as manager with the Texas Rangers for seven years, then with the New York Mets, leading an unlikely group to the 2000 World Series against the cross-town rival New York Yankees. Now he is involved in a new kind of race and the final game is played on election day.

At one time Bobby V was one of the biggest names in New York City, especially in the aftermath of 9/11 where the Mets skipper led his team's volunteer efforts in helping the Big Apple heal. Valentine was known for his quirky ways, once returning to the dugout wearing a fake mustache and glasses, after being ejected by an umpire.

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After a short unsuccessful stint with the Boston Red Sox, Bobby V turned to college athletics as the Athletic Director for Sacred Heart University in Connecticut. Now the former Major League Baseball manager is running for mayor in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut’s second-largest and fastest-growing city.

According to an Associated Press article by Susan Haigh, Valentine is more than excited to take on the challenge. “I have passion for this city. I have a skill set that meets the requirements of leadership, management, of team building,” Valentine said in the article. “I mean, I would think if there was a job description out there for a mayor, those things would be in it.”

Haigh's article stated that "the former Republican submitted 188 signatures to get on the ballot as an unaffiliated candidate finds himself in a closely watched, competitive race against Caroline Simmons, a 35-year-old Harvard-educated state representative who already upset the shoreline city’s two-term mayor in the Democratic primary in September."

Who says that fired MLB managers can't make up with their old owners? The article pointed out that "former Republican President George W. Bush, who was a managing partner of the Texas Rangers when the team fired Valentine as its manager, contributing $500 to the former skipper." I always found Bobby Valentine to be a very prepared major league manager. At the same time, I found him to be a little too much about himself for the good of the team. That last one may not be a good trait for a mayor of a big city but we'll see. The one thing that I am sure of is that Bobby V will give it his all.