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Bubby Magic
2007-04-26 10:01
by Alex Belth

In the late 70s my father had a brief stint as a production manager for SNL. I remember him going to the Mets spring training camp (where they filmed the "Baseball been berry, berry good to me," sketch). When he returned, I peppered him with questions about who his favorite players were and was disappointed when he answered, "Bobby Valentine." Who? Bobby Valentine was a scrub. But years later, I understood perfectly well why Valentine appealed to my father. Bobby V is smart, articulate, charming, and just a tad egotistical (plus, he's generally convinced that he's Right about most things). Valentine has made it and he's done it His way, my dad's kind of guy. Even when I find him abrasive, I never really dislike Valentine, probably because he reminds me of my old man. And I just find him very amusing.

There is an entertaining (and lengthy) piece on Bobby V this week in SI by Chris Ballard. Check it out.

Comments
2007-04-26 11:20:27
1.   pistolpete
Bobby's restaurants are up here in CT - one of my favorite lunchtime hangouts, fwiw.
2007-04-26 13:26:52
2.   Sliced Bread
Alex,
Your Pop must have had some stories from his days at SNL.
Spring Training in the late 70's? Dang, I imagine the Mets and SNL players partied like rock stars together down there.
2007-04-26 17:46:54
3.   Kered Retej
I know that most people on the boards here probably already know this, but I think it's worth pointing out to the newcomers that Bobby also has his own blog that is actually updated quite frequently. I don't read it regularly, but it is a fun distraction, and he is definitely quite a character. See the handy link on the right side.

In other celebrity baseball blog news, Alyssa Milano is blogging about the Dodgers. It isn't great, but it certainly exceeded my expectations, and she is certainly in the running for the "Easiest on the Eyes" Blogger award (sorry, Alex and Cliff).

2007-04-27 06:03:00
4.   Murray
Remember, Bobby Valentine won a pennant with an outfield that consisted of Melvin Mora, Timo Perez and and Benny Agbayani by the end of the 2000 season. I always liked him--sure, he wasn't as smart as he thought he was, but who among us is?

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