Bobby Valentine’s turn around of the Chiba Lotte Marines professional baseball team from perennial cellar dwellers to Japan national champs made the top ten of the Mainichi Daily New Top 2005 New Stories in Japan.

Valentine charmed Japanese fans with his humble nature, patience and his attempts to fit in by speaking the local language.

His efforts to blend in haven’t always been appreciated, though, and despite leading the Marines to their best finish in 20 years in 1995, Valentine was fired at the end of the season after he refused to bow to front-office pressure. When the team slipped back to oblivion, Lotte rehired Valentine and in just two years the former New York Mets skipper turned the club into a powerhouse.

The Marines’ hard-hitting style wasn’t appreciated by the opposition and in the middle of the 2005 season, Lotte was accused of using performance-enhancing drugs.

Valentine was quick to squash the rumors, though, and the team soon refocused on the job at hand.