Bobby Valentine’s return to managing stateside will be an interesting storyline all year. Taking over for a team coming off an epic collapse, surrounded by embellished stories of an Animal House type clubhouse, the new Red Sox manager is walking into a tough situation. If he can get Carl Crawford playing up to his contract and get the staff to dispel the awful reputations they deservedly earned during the late season collapse, he’ll be a coach of the year candidate for sure. Until then, here are Tri-State Sports Guys’ co-host Mike D’s top 5 managers in the game today…

The Detroit Tigers are clawing their way back to the top of the AL Central, and maybe all the way to the top of the American League. Led by a dominant stable of starters, the Tigers have won six straight games and have built a season-high three-game lead in the division. Look no further than the rebuilt pitching staff for restoring the roar in the Motor City that has been dormant since the Tigers cowered away…