Baseball notebook: Valentine on Orioles’ radar

The Orioles’ search for a new manager is officially underway, with at least two intriguing names in the mix.

Bobby Valentine is an ESPN analyst who took the New York Mets to the World Series in 2000 and won a Japan Series title with the Chiba Lotte Marines in 2005. He was also the Pacific Coast League’s Most Valuable Player with the Spokane Indians in 1970. Valentine will be interviewed by the Orioles perhaps as early as Thursday or Friday.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has called several other candidates to gauge their interest, including former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge, two sources said.

Valentine, 60, hasn’t managed in the majors since the Mets fired him after the 2002 season.

Young fan recovers

A 3-year-old girl whose skull was fractured by a line drive during batting practice at Dodger Stadium underwent surgery.

“The surgery went well and we anticipate a full recovery,” said Dr. J. Gordon McComb, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ head of neurosurgery.

The accident occurred Monday when Dodgers catcher Russell Martin hit a liner in the stands, knocking the girl unconscious.

Former pitcher dies

Jerry Stephenson, who pitched for the Boston Red Sox in the 1967 World Series, has died. He was 66.

Stephenson died Sunday in Anaheim, Calif., of cancer. Stephenson was 8-19 with Boston, the Seattle Pilots and the Los Angeles Dodgers in a seven-year career.

Young fan drinking?

A video snippet from a Philadelphia Phillies broadcast shows a little boy in the stands appearing to take a swig from a beer bottle, creating a fresh headache for a ballclub whose fans have been drawing almost as much attention as its players.

The fuzzy video shows the childputting the bottle to his lips at Sunday’s Phillies-Padres game at Citizens Bank Park.

Clearing the bases

Boston Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury is going for a further examination of his injured ribs today in Los Angeles. … MLB received medical records for Oliver Perez from the Mets and has no issues with his DL status.