On Tuesday night, the Braves became World Series champions. Hours later, a man who spent much of his MLB managerial career chasing — but failing to ever win — a World Series title lost a different type of race: one that would have made him mayor of his home town
Bobby Valentine, 71, whose MLB career as a player and coach spanned six different decades, conceded a close race for mayor of Stamford, Connecticut, to Democrat Caroline Simmons early Wednesday morning. Valentine ran as an independent.
Valentine grew up in Stamford. A three-sport star at the now-defunct Rippowam High School, Valentine was drafted by the Dodgers in 1968 and made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 1969 at 19.
He pieced together a solid if unspectacular pro career as a player, bouncing around four different teams in his 10 major-league seasons. While he hit just 12 home runs in his MLB career, Valentine’s defensive versatility was unquestioned: He appeared at every position except pitcher during his career.
Valentine got his first opportunity as a manager in 1985 with the Texas Rangers, but he was unable to lead to club to a postseason berth before being fired by George W. Bush during the 1992 season. Valentine took over the Mets‘ managerial position in 1996 and led them to a World Series appearance in 2000, where they lost to the Yankees in five games. He was let go after the 2002 season.
His final season as an MLB manager came in 2012, when he managed the Red Sox to a 69-93 record and last place in the AL East. He finished his managerial career with a record of 1,186-1,165.
Valentine announced in May 2021 that he would run for mayor of Stamford as an independent after having previously been registered as a Republican, according to the Stamford Advocate. The race was a close one, and while Valentine did eventually concede, he had plenty to say, according to the New York Daily News.
“It makes my stomach turn to think that in our city, that they’re actually telling me now, ‘Oh, someone voted in person and they forgot they voted absentee,'” Valentine said.
Bobby V also blamed the media for his loss.
“Someone says maybe I’m supposed to thank the media for all the lousy coverage that they gave us or maybe even compliment [Simmons’ team] for the campaign they ran but I can’t do that with an open heart and a clear mind, so I’m just going to say the campaign is over,” he said.
Simmons will be the first woman to serve as mayor of Stamford.
