Bobby Valentine’s mouth may have cost him another job.
The combustible former Mets manager was expected to be part of TBS’ in-studio show during the baseball postseason, but his name was left out when Turner Sports announced Monday that Pedro Martinez and Tom Verducci will join host Keith Olberman, and Valentine’s exclusion may have to do with comments he made about the Yankees’ lack of visibility in New York City after 9/11, according to a Newsday report.
“You couldn’t find a Yankee on the streets of New York,” Valentine said on WFAN this Sept. 11, the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. “You couldn’t find a Yankee down at Ground Zero, talking to the guys who were working 24/7.”
Newsday reported two sources as saying the comments sunk Valentine, though the network only said, “Bobby was one of a number of candidates being considered for the role, but we elected to go with the team of Keith, Pedro and Tom and we’re very excited about that combination in-studio for us.”
Valentine was fired after one rocky season as manager of the Red Sox in 2012. He has spent time this summer working for MLB Network and also is the athletic director at Sacred Heart University.