Asian Series
Chiba Lotte manager Bobby Valentine says he's flattered by reports he is the target of Major League Baseball teams, but his current focus is on getting the Marines ready for a regional tournament.
"I'm very flattered if that is the situation," Valentine said yesterday in Tokyo, referring to reports that both the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Los Angeles Dodgers have short-listed him for their vacant managerial posts. "Right now, I'm under contract to manage (the Marines) through the Asian Series."
The Asian Series, also known as The Konami Cup, features the league champions from Japan, China, Taiwan and South Korea and will be held Nov. 11-13 at Tokyo Dome.
Last week, Valentine's Marines won the Japan Series for the first time in 31 years.
Valentine, who formerly managed the Texas Rangers and New York Mets, is in his second stint in Japan with the Marines. He is just completing the second year of a three-year contract, which reportedly contains an option to extend for two additional years.
But Valentine acknowledged that his future was still undetermined.
"There has been no contract signed for next year," Valentine said, when asked if he would be back to honor the third year of his deal with the Marines. "That's all in the works."
On Tuesday, it was reported that the Devil Rays had made Valentine one of three finalists to fill their managerial opening, along with departed manager Lou Pinella's top assistant, John McLaren, and Los Angeles Angels bench coach Joe Maddon.
It has also been reported that Tommy LaSorda has been lobbying Valentine to take over as manager of the Dodgers after the departure of Jim Tracy.
It was also announced yesterday that Valentine was named the recipient of the Matsutaro Shoriki award, which is given annually to the person judge to have contributed most to the development of Japanese baseball.
The four-member selection committee, including former Yomiuri Giants managers Tetsuharu Kawakami and Motoshi Fujita, commended Valentine for his leadership and dedication to the fans. He will receive US$50,000 for the award.
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