Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine will be on ESPN all season, playing the Steve Phillips role of “guy who silently rubs his hands and licks his lips every time he’s asked on-camera about the struggling Mets.” The difference, though, is that Bobby V. clearly wants to return to Flushing. He’s willing to be the swirling vulture, waiting for the body to finally collapse, and he’ll spin it as “forgiving an ex-girlfriend.” At a Japanese event he said, “It’s not as though you don’t go back to the girl that dumped you, but it takes a little while. It takes a little convincing.” You have to love Valentine. He’s going to spend the next year of television time presenting himself as the Mets’ savior while waiting for the phone to ring. Whenever the Mets lose, he will have an opportunity to sell himself. He should have plenty of opportunities.