Leo: Valentine’s Day for baseball lovers

I have dug deep to find the best Valentine’s Day baseball names, enjoy!

Bobby Valentine – Boston Red Sox manager, former skipper for the Rangers, Mets, and Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan. He played 12 seasons in the majors with the Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Mets, and Mariners. He interviewed for the Indians managerial job after the 2009 season when Manny Acta was hired. He was ejected from a Mets game in 1999 and returned to the dugout in sunglasses and a fake mustache disguise.

Corey Hart – Milwaukee Brewers outfielder, two-time All Star selection. He hammered a career-best 31 HR and produced 102 RBI in 2010. This Corey Hart should not be confused with the Canadian-born singer that produced “Sunglasses at Night” in the ’80′s.

Pete Rose – The “Hit King” batted .303 over 24 seasons with the Reds, Phillies, and Expos. He finished with 4,256 career hits and managed in Cincinnati from 1984-1989 before receiving a lifetime ban for gambling. Rose won three World Series titles, one NL MVP, one World Series MVP, three batting titles, and was the NL rookie of the year in 1963.

Rick Sweet – former Louisville Bats manager, winningest skipper in Louisville history. He played parts of three seasons in the majors with the Padres, Mets, and Mariners from 1978 to 1983. Sweet has transitioned into a catching instructor role with the Reds. At Huntington Park, he once argued a close call at second base that he never saw because he was in the bullpen warming up his pitcher. Louisville was short on catching help so Sweet decided to throw on the gear. He also has the ability to grow one of the best mustaches in the game!

Tyler Flowers – Charlotte Knights/Chicago White Sox catcher. Originally drafted by the Braves in 2008, he was traded along with Brent Lillibridge, Jonathan Gilmore, and Santos Rodriguez to Chicago for Javier Vazquez and Boone Logan. Flowers hit his first major league homer last August.

John “Candy Man” Candelaria – pitched from 1975 to 1993 with the Pirates, Angels, Mets, Yankees, Expos, Twins, and Dodgers. He was a member of the 1979 “We are Family” World Champion Pirates club.

What do you think? Are there other Valentine’s Day baseball names? Send them to me at sleo@clippersbaseball.com