You may have thought you knew everything there was to know about new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine.
You knew that he managed the Texas Rangers, lead the New York Mets to the 2000 World Series, and once returned to the dugout donning a fake mustache after being ejected. You may have also known that he was a manager in Japan for the Chiba Lotte Marines and even won a championship during his time there.
But did you know that while managing in Japan, the newest leader of Red Sox Nation was also a music video superstar?
It’s true. And we’ve got the evidence after the jump.
The song is called “Diamond” by the band Deen. The lyrics are in Japanese and English, the beat sounds like almost like standard Mexican pop music.
Of course if you’re reading this site, you’re probably a baseball fan and not a Japanese pop music conoisseur, which means you’re probably only interested in seeing Bobby V do his thing. If that’s the case, skip ahead to the 1:37 mark, where you’ll find a suited up Bobby V at a press conference announcing the signing of the members of Deen to contracts with his Chiba Lotte Marines. Valentine, though not known for his mad high-fiving skills on this side of the pond, certainly exhibits some in this video after placing jerseys on the band members. The Marines’ eagle (?) mascot is present, as are the media, all clamoring to get a shot of Valentine and the newest Marines.
But buckle your seatbelts, because for as confusing as this video has been up til now, it’s about to take an even wilder ride into crazytown. For some inexplicable reason, the press conference turns into a ballroom dance. At around the 2:15 mark, the press clears and a comely lass (I’m presuming the team’s spokesman) emerges from behind a podium. She and Valentine proceed to sashay across the newly created dance floor as the members of Deen croon in the background from the podium.
As the tight shot fades into a disco ball and pans back out, it seems as though the press conference/ballroom has turned into an adult Prom of sorts. This time around, Bobby V is clad in a purple dress shirt unbuttoned enough to show us a healthy swath of chest. There is confetti. There are balloons. There are tight shots of the mascot.
The highlight of this video, as far as I’m concerned, is the closing shot at 4:21. We see Valentine and his dance partner through a telescopic lens, with a slide whistle playing as the shot closes out. But if you thought the video ended there, you sir (or ma’am) were sorely mistaken. The shot opens once again with a slide whistle, this time focused in tight on Valentine. Bobby V looks into the camera with a dead serious look on his face and asks the audience “Can you cha cha?”
No sir, I cannot cha cha. But I can enjoy a good Japanese pop music video as much as the next fellow. And I can also enjoy the rare occasion when a manager lets his guard down enough to do something silly like this. And who knows, maybe Justin Bieber will see this music video and give Bobby V a call to see if he can make a guest appearance in his next video. Stranger things have happened.
