It's a new managerial era in Major League Baseball.
With the dismissals of Bobby Valentine and Ozzie Guillen from the Red Sox and Marlins, respectively, there's an undeniable trend in the sport in terms of hiring managers. No longer are the Billy Martin-like, outspoken and thoroughly controversial skipper en vogue. Rather, there's a clear movement towards "players' managers" who are as much psychologists as they are on-field decision makers.
Nonetheless, in an interview on Tuesday night with Bob Costas on his NBC Sports Network show Costas Tonight, Valentine said that he would very much like to manage again in the big leagues. Guillen has yet to weigh in on the matter, but, considering the brevity of his stint in South Beach, it wouldn't surprise anyone if he wanted another opportunity.
Whether they get their (third and fourth) chances is an entirely different debate.
That being said, during his interview Valentine very poignantly noted that, after the 2000 season with the Dodgers, it was almost universally speculated that Davey Johnson would never get a managerial gig in the big leagues again. This year, he's a strong candidate for Manager of the Year with the Nationals.
As we all know, baseball is a game of streaks and trends, and that isn't necessarily confined to the field. The types of player, methods of evaluation and general strategies of the sport tend to eb and flow, so it would make a certain amount of sense to, at least eventually, see the outspoken, controversial type of manager return to the field.
In that vein we ask you: Who will end up back in a dugout guiding an MLB team first? Valentine, Guillen, or have both worn out their welcome in the big leagues?
Will Bobby Valentine or Ozzie Guillen get an MLB managerial job first?
