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10-28-2003, 09:45 AM
10/27/2003 4:05 PM ET
O's to interview at least two more
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have two more scheduled interviews for their vacant managerial position this week and could still conduct a third with Yankees coach Lee Mazzilli.
When it appeared that the search might be limited to candidates with Oriole ties, the management duo of Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan asked permission to speak with Terry Francona, Tom Foley and Mazzilli in the past week. Francona and Foley will interview on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
So it appears the competition to become the Orioles' 14th manager is wide open. Francona has experience, managing the Philadelphia Phillies for four seasons, while Foley and Mazzilli are relative newcomers to the coaching ranks who had long playing careers.
Beattie has said he would like a decision made by about Nov. 1, so this could be the final week of interviews.
Red Sox management on Monday declined to pick up manager Grady Little's contract options for 2004 and 2005. Little, who is still being second-guessed for not removing Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees. If Little is interested, he could become an instant candidate for the Orioles job.
Beattie and Flanagan have not commented on any of the four interviewed candidates -- Eddie Murray, Sam Perlozzo, Rich Dauer and Rick Dempsey -- but all four reportedly made positive impressions.
So with three more candidates on the docket, MLB.com takes a look at their strengths and weaknesses heading into their interviews.
Terry Francona
The former Major League outfielder played 10 seasons, five with Montreal. The son of former Major Leaguer Tito Francona was a career .274 hitter. A year after his retirement in 1990, Francona was the hitting instructor for the White Sox's Gulf Coast League affiliate and managed in the White Sox system until receiving the Phillies' job in 1997. Francona managed Michael Jordan while he played for the Birmingham Barons.
Strengths: Francona has the experience and managed in a tough baseball town -- Philadelphia -- for four years. He also has served as bench coach for two different clubs, including the AL West champion Oakland A's this season. He has managed at all levels, dealing with young prospects and veteran players. Francona had winning records in the minor leagues and was Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year in 1993.
Weaknesses: Francona did not have a winning record in any of his four seasons in Philadelphia. But the club was rebuilding during his time there. Francona was considered a top managing prospect with a bright future before he got to Philadelphia. The Phillies lost 97 games in Francona's final season.
Tom Foley
Foley, a third-base coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, played 14 seasons in the Major Leagues, mostly with Montreal. Foley and fellow coach Billy Hatcher have been in the Tampa Bay organization since its inception. He was a field coordinator for three seasons and then farm director until 2001. As a shortstop with Montreal in 1991, he had 61 consecutive errorless games.
Strengths: Foley is familiar with rebuilding projects, having worked with the Devil Rays. He also has the experience dealing with a team's farm system, which is crucial to the redevelopment of the Orioles' organization. Foley also spent a season under veteran manager Lou Piniella.
Weaknesses: Foley's most extensive managing experience was in the Devil Rays' Rookie League team and the Arizona Fall League. Foley has spent only one season on a Major League staff and is considered to have a somewhat stoic personality.
Lee Mazzilli
The Yankees' first-base coach played for 14 seasons in the Major Leagues, mostly with the New York Mets. He was a member of the Mets' 1986 World Series team and was out of the game for eight years before joining the Yankees' organization in 1997. He managed in Class-A and Double-A before joining Joe Torre's staff in 2000.
Strengths: Anyone who can deal with the daily circus that comes with being employed by the Yankees has to be is considered a viable candidate to lead the Orioles. Mazzilli is considered an intelligent coach and has a close relationship with many Yankees players. Mazzilli can take a winning attitude into his first managerial job and knows the rigors of the AL East.
Weaknesses: Mazzilli interviewed for the Tampa Bay job last winter but lost out to Piniella. He has only six years of post-playing baseball experience, all of which have come with the Yanks.
Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
O's to interview at least two more
By Gary Washburn / MLB.com
BALTIMORE -- The Orioles have two more scheduled interviews for their vacant managerial position this week and could still conduct a third with Yankees coach Lee Mazzilli.
When it appeared that the search might be limited to candidates with Oriole ties, the management duo of Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan asked permission to speak with Terry Francona, Tom Foley and Mazzilli in the past week. Francona and Foley will interview on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
So it appears the competition to become the Orioles' 14th manager is wide open. Francona has experience, managing the Philadelphia Phillies for four seasons, while Foley and Mazzilli are relative newcomers to the coaching ranks who had long playing careers.
Beattie has said he would like a decision made by about Nov. 1, so this could be the final week of interviews.
Red Sox management on Monday declined to pick up manager Grady Little's contract options for 2004 and 2005. Little, who is still being second-guessed for not removing Pedro Martinez in the eighth inning of Game 7 of the ALCS against the Yankees. If Little is interested, he could become an instant candidate for the Orioles job.
Beattie and Flanagan have not commented on any of the four interviewed candidates -- Eddie Murray, Sam Perlozzo, Rich Dauer and Rick Dempsey -- but all four reportedly made positive impressions.
So with three more candidates on the docket, MLB.com takes a look at their strengths and weaknesses heading into their interviews.
Terry Francona
The former Major League outfielder played 10 seasons, five with Montreal. The son of former Major Leaguer Tito Francona was a career .274 hitter. A year after his retirement in 1990, Francona was the hitting instructor for the White Sox's Gulf Coast League affiliate and managed in the White Sox system until receiving the Phillies' job in 1997. Francona managed Michael Jordan while he played for the Birmingham Barons.
Strengths: Francona has the experience and managed in a tough baseball town -- Philadelphia -- for four years. He also has served as bench coach for two different clubs, including the AL West champion Oakland A's this season. He has managed at all levels, dealing with young prospects and veteran players. Francona had winning records in the minor leagues and was Baseball America's Minor League Manager of the Year in 1993.
Weaknesses: Francona did not have a winning record in any of his four seasons in Philadelphia. But the club was rebuilding during his time there. Francona was considered a top managing prospect with a bright future before he got to Philadelphia. The Phillies lost 97 games in Francona's final season.
Tom Foley
Foley, a third-base coach for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, played 14 seasons in the Major Leagues, mostly with Montreal. Foley and fellow coach Billy Hatcher have been in the Tampa Bay organization since its inception. He was a field coordinator for three seasons and then farm director until 2001. As a shortstop with Montreal in 1991, he had 61 consecutive errorless games.
Strengths: Foley is familiar with rebuilding projects, having worked with the Devil Rays. He also has the experience dealing with a team's farm system, which is crucial to the redevelopment of the Orioles' organization. Foley also spent a season under veteran manager Lou Piniella.
Weaknesses: Foley's most extensive managing experience was in the Devil Rays' Rookie League team and the Arizona Fall League. Foley has spent only one season on a Major League staff and is considered to have a somewhat stoic personality.
Lee Mazzilli
The Yankees' first-base coach played for 14 seasons in the Major Leagues, mostly with the New York Mets. He was a member of the Mets' 1986 World Series team and was out of the game for eight years before joining the Yankees' organization in 1997. He managed in Class-A and Double-A before joining Joe Torre's staff in 2000.
Strengths: Anyone who can deal with the daily circus that comes with being employed by the Yankees has to be is considered a viable candidate to lead the Orioles. Mazzilli is considered an intelligent coach and has a close relationship with many Yankees players. Mazzilli can take a winning attitude into his first managerial job and knows the rigors of the AL East.
Weaknesses: Mazzilli interviewed for the Tampa Bay job last winter but lost out to Piniella. He has only six years of post-playing baseball experience, all of which have come with the Yanks.
Gary Washburn is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.