Oya Quits, Opening for Valentine?
Yokohama BayStars manager Akihiko Oya is quitting tomorrow, citing the team’s poor performance under his watch. The ‘Stars are again the doormat of the Central League this season after another last-place finish last year. Yokohama farm team manager Tomio Tashiro will take over managerial duties on the top team.Â
The more interesting part of the story for me is that Bobby Valentine was linked to a group that tried to buy the BayStars last year but withdrew their bid over uncertainty about the global economy. Bobby expects to be out of a job after the season as the Marines have already decided not to renew his contract. It’s tempting to think that the BayStars, no matter what management they’re under, could revisit the idea of having Bobby V at the helm. It would only be a short move across Tokyo Bay for Bobby, and Yokohama has some good players to build a team around.
Japanese baseball is facing the loss of one of it’s finest advocates, so I hope Bobby gets a chance to stay in the game.