Valentine on M&M: No contact yet from Sox

ESPN analyst and former Rangers and Mets manager Bobby Valentine, in an interview on the Mut & Merloni Show, said that he had not been contacted by the Red Sox to this point about the managerial vacancy that was created when Terry Francona and the team parted ways last Friday.

Valentine, 61, had a 1,117-1072 (.510) record in 15 years as a manager, and reached the World Series with the Mets in 2000. He also enjoyed a successful career managing in Japan, where he not only led the Chiba Lotte Marines to a championship, but he also became an iconic figure in the NPB.

Asked whether he'd talked with the Sox, Valentine said, "No, this is the first contact I've had with anyone in Beantown."

However, he did hint that he would be open to discussing the position with the Sox, even as he tried to limit conversation on the topic.

"You're not offering the job, so I'm not going to talk about whether I want it," Valentine said. "If somebody else calls, I'll probably answer the phone the same way I answered your call." 

Valentine did allow that the Sox job was one that would be viewed widely as an appealing situation.

"How could it not be a good situation?" he mused. "You would think so."

Valentine suggested that, based on his conversations with Francona this year, he wasn't shocked that the manager felt it was time to move on from his tenure in Boston.

"I respect Terry as much as anyone in the world. I think he does a fabulous job. He'll get to do it again. He has a really good team; it just didn't happen," said Valentine. "I'm not that surprised. Talking to him during the season, I'm not that surprised that he's not there. I think he had wishes to leave. I think that's as much Terry's request as it is the failing of the team. ... It's just a feeling I got."

To listen to the complete interview, visit the Mut & Merloni Audio on Demand page [1]. For complete Red Sox coverage, visit weei.com/redsox [2].