With Jon Miller being honored in Cooperstown and Joe Morgan attending the ceremonies, ESPN had to assign a backup crew for Sunday night baseball.

Being conspiratorial by nature, I thought it was an interesting choice that ESPN send Bobby Valentine to Chicago to provide analysis for the Cubs-Cardinals game last night.

Valentine has expressed an interest in the Cubs job and it almost seemed like ESPN was giving him a free audition last night.  Or, equal footing with Bob Brenly.

One wonders if the savvy Valentine sought out Cubs President Crane Kenney, who Cubs owner Tom Ricketts has included as a member of the hiring committee.  Or, perhaps, Valentine went right to the head man himself. If you represent the WWL, chances are you have full access to eveything and everyone.

ESPN could have sent someone else like Rick Suttcliffe, who has often called Cub games or Orel Hershiser who is a part of the regular Sunday crew.  But for some reason, ESPN picked Valentine, who is pretty good as an analyst in his own right.

The WWL doesn't do anything without a reason and maybe they figure if this little business trip got Bobby the gig, he'd owe them and be more accessible to them if he got the gig. 

Maybe he was just the best guy for the job, but you have to wonder.