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Ex-Mets Manager Bobby Valentine A Good Fit For Red Sox?

NEW YORK (WFAN/AP) — When it comes to beating Bobby Valentine, the Yankees have been there, done that.

(2000 World Series, anyone?)

If Valentine gets the managerial job in Boston, the Bombers will have their chance to stick it to the former Mets manager yet again.

According to the Boston Herald, "Bobby V" will officially interview for the opening Monday, "which should end with a period of media availability."

Valentine said Friday that he already has spoken to general manager Ben Cherington and "I'm looking forward to having conversations, if that's what they want to do."

Foxsports.com reported last week that Valentine has met with at least one owner already. Team president and part owner Larry Lucchino and Valentine participated on Nov. 3 in Hartford in a program put on by the World Affairs Council on the global rise in the popularity of baseball.

At the time, both said they hadn't discussed the job with each other.

"He's a great man and a great manager and he has a colorful and successful history, so his name inevitably comes up in this day and age," Lucchino said.

Valentine was fired by the Mets after the 2002 season. He managed in Japan from 2004-09, winning the Japan Series in 2005 with the Chiba Lotte Marines.

The Red Sox are seeking a replacement for Terry Francona, who left Sept. 30, two days after a loss in the regular-season finale left them out of the playoffs. They've interviewed Philadelphia bench coach Pete Mackanin, Milwaukee hitting coach Dale Sveum, Cleveland first-base coach Sandy Alomar Jr., Toronto first-base coach Torey Lovullo and Detroit third-base coach Gene Lamont.

Sveum was hired as manager of the Chicago Cubs last Thursday.

The energetic, experienced Valentine would be a departure from that largely unproven group. Lamont is the only one of the five with major league managerial experience.

Yankees fans: What do you make of the Red Sox interviewing Bobby V? Sound off below...

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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