Bobby Valentine's Chiba Lotte Marines

Update, 6/12/09: According to ESPN.com, supporters in Japan have created a petition for Valentine to stay with the Marines after the 2009 season and have collected more than 100,000 signatures. They will submit the petition to Marines officials, who have said that they cannot afford Valentine, later this Friday.

Original Post, 6/11/09: Earlier today, Bobby Valentine's Japanese team, the Chiba Lotte Marines, set a new Japanese record by scoring 15 runs in the sixth inning against the Hiroshima Carp.

Personally, I think this is a great milestone for Valentine and his team, as the Marines have the lowest team batting average in the Pacific League with a lowly .250.

Valentine managed the Mets from the late 1990s until 2002, leading the Mets to a National League Pennant in 2000. He also led the Marines to a Japanese Series Title in 2005. His contract as manager for the team will not be renewed at the end of the season.

I think this is great for Valentine achieving milestones both in Japan and the MLB. It is a shame that he will be let go though. He is adored by the Japanese, but the time comes for every manager when the team has to move on, no matter how much their manager has done for them.