Bobby Valentine was the fifth player chosen in the 1968 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but his major league playing career was cut short by a broken leg several years later. He began his managerial career in 1985 with the Texas Rangers, before going on to manage the Chiba Lotte Marines; the New York Mets, whom he took to the 2000 World Series; and the Boston Red Sox. A second stint with the Marines resulted in the team winning the Japan Series and Asia Series in 2005. In 2002, he was awarded the Branch Rickey Award for his donations to and personal work with survivors of the 9/11 attacks. In 2018, the Emperor of Japan bestowed upon him the Order of the Rising Sun. He has also worked as an analyst for ESPN. Currently, he is the executive director of athletics at Sacred Heart University, the proprietor of the Bobby Valentine Sports Academy, and an owner of Makuhari Media, a company that produces sports documentaries. He was raised and resides in Stamford, Connecticut where he was named Citizen of the Year in 2011.