Trying to connect national holidays and sports has become a tradition in my columns.
So there's definitely pressure to deliver a column that blends the worlds of love and sports into one in this edition of "Game On."
For my Halloween column I wrote about sports costumes a little left of center, and for Christmas I decided to list interesting gift ideas for the passionate sports fan.
Thinking about it, it's not easy to try to connect athletics to this Hallmark holiday at all.
So I decided to go another route and will write about the one sports personality who deserves to be talked about on Valentine's Day.
That's right - Bobby Valentine.
You see, throughout the years it seems like Bobby Valentine has received the title as a mediocre manager.
He was fired by George W. Bush when the president owned the Texas Rangers, and he was let go by the New York Mets two years after taking them to the World Series.
But those who claim he wasn't a good manager clearly have a bias against Valentine's antics.
Who else who would dress up in a disguise after being ejected from the game?
You guessed it - Bobby Valentine.
In 1999, the Mets' manager snuck into the dugout wearing a fake mustache and nose after being told to take a shower. I'll be honest, I was fooled by the bit. I swore it was Groucho Marx in the Metropolitan's dugout that day. Or maybe just a Mets trainer with a mustache I didn't know existed.
Even you non-sports fans have reasons to love this Connecticut native - Stamford, Conn., to be exact.
Did you know Bobby Valentine is credited as the inventor of "the wrap" by many? And who doesn't love the wrap?
Valentine put "a sandwich wrapped in tortilla" on the menu of his restaurant Bobby V's in Stamford. If you don't believe me - his idea was credited on the Food Network (the most valid of all sources pertaining to food).
Simple idea, but genius.
Kind of like his decision to put faith in Benny Agbayani.
Mets fans need to at least realize Valentine was a good manager. He was the only manager to take them to a World Series since 1986.
He also did it with a good, but not necessarily great, team.
He had Mike Piazza who was still a monster in 2000, and Edgardo Alfonzo had a great year. After that, it was a mediocre lineup.
Robin Ventura didn't nearly have the year he had in 1999 where there was talk of him winning the National League MVP. And Valentine had to rely on hitters like Todd Zeile, Agbayani and Jay Payton to come up with big hits every night.
And he got the best out of these players. Granted he did have a good pitching staff with Mike Hampton, Al Leiter and Rick Reed.
The teams following the NL Championship year were blamed on Valentine for losing the respect of the players. Of course this is a very valid point since you can see the great managing job of his successor, Art Howe.
When rumors came that the Mets were thinking of rehiring Bobby V. in 2005 I got my hopes up since he has what it takes to manage in New York. And it seemed like I was the only one who remembered he was a good manager. In 1999 and 2000 he was just overshadowed by Joe Torre.
For those of you out of the loop of all things Bobby Valentine, I'm assuming most of you are, he is currently managing in Japan. In 2005, his Chiba Lotte Marines won the Japan Series.
For those of you keeping track, his 57th birthday is coming up just around the corner on May 13. Alright, so maybe it's still three months away.
Brian Johnson welcomes
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