Valentine Gets Two-Game Ban

Now that the National League has seen through his disguise, Bobby Valentine admits he was the mysterious man in the mustache but says he never went back to his team’s dugout.

The New York Met manager was suspended for two games and fined $5,000 by the league for returning to the dugout in a disguise after being ejected from Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“The picture looked like I was in the dugout, but they got it all wrong,” Valentine said before showing reporters the spot between the runway and the dugout where he stood with a fake mustache and glasses. “I absolutely was never in the dugout.”

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Houston Astro owner Drayton McLane Jr. and the television executive who accused him of making offensive remarks issued a joint statement, saying the community “should put this issue behind us and move forward.” Marco Camacho, the general manager of KTMD-TV, Houston’s Telemundo affiliate, had accused McLane of saying the Astros don’t market to Hispanics because they don’t understand baseball and only buy tickets in the cheap seats. After meeting with McLane, Camacho backed off his allegations. . . . Craig Counsell complained about his shrinking role on the Florida Marlins, and the team responded by designating him for assignment. The transaction removed him from the roster, and if the team is unable to trade him in 10 days, he’ll be put on waivers.