yagsy
10-13-2006, 05:12 PM
http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/padres/20061013-9999-1s13padres.html
Cubs expected to interview Bochy
Padres execs give OK, manager's agent says
By Tom Krasovic
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 13, 2006
NEW YORK – The Cubs have decided they want to interview Bruce Bochy for their managerial opening, and it doesn't appear the Padres will stand in their way.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061013/images/bochy280.jpg
JIM BAIRD / Union-Tribune
Bruce Bochy's standing with the Padres apparently was hurt by latest playoff ouster.
Denied by the Padres in his attempt to interview Bochy in 2001, Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry made it known yesterday he expects to meet with Bochy soon, according to major league sources. A Cubs official has said Bochy is the No. 1 choice of at least one adviser to Hendry, and perhaps Hendry himself.
Bochy is under contract next year for about $1.9 million, but Bochy's agent, Tony Attanasio, said last night he has gleaned that Padres CEO Sandy Alderson and GM Kevin Towers will allow clubs to interview Bochy, although Bochy isn't seeking a new employer.
“Sandy has a sense of fairness, and that is important to the whole story,” Attanasio said. “Sandy's sense of fairness is inherent in the whole personal situation – (Alderson) would allow Boch to explore any possibility and make his decision.”
Alderson and Towers were unavailable for comment, but events of late 2005 could serve as an apt precedent. Last November, in his first year with the club, Alderson allowed the rival Arizona Diamondbacks to interview Towers. Telling friends he was interviewing only because he thought Arizona would hire him, Towers met with Diamondbacks executives for nearly four hours in Phoenix. Towers didn't get the job and returned to the Padres.
Bochy glance
A look at Bruce Bochy's tenure as Padres manager:
Has won NL West titles in four of 12 seasons
Has five of the franchise's 12 winning seasons
Has nearly as many wins (951) as the next four winningest Padres managers combined (954)
Has won consecutive division titles, a team first
Has made it out of the NLDS only once – when his 1998 team reached the World Series
One of Alderson's predecessors in the CEO job, Larry Lucchino, didn't allow other clubs entree to Bochy. On Lucchino's watch, both the Tigers and the Cubs were denied permission to interview Bochy, who has managed the Padres since 1995.
Bochy's Padres have won two consecutive National League West titles, a franchise first. Both times, the Padres were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Cardinals, who also swept San Diego out of the first round in 1996. The latest ouster, coming Sunday in Game 4 of the five-game series, appeared to hurt Bochy's standing in the organization.
The front office believed the Padres were worthy favorites. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, a former Alderson hire in Oakland, improved to 9-1 in playoff games against Bochy. One day after the Padres were eliminated, Towers, whose friendship with Bochy dates to the 1980s, was unusually brief when asked about Bochy's future with the club.
“Right now, Bruce Bochy is our manager,” he said.
Bochy's salary is among the majors' top 10. The Cubs did not bring back Dusty Baker when his four-year contract worth $14-15 million expired at the end of the season. “The only reason (Bochy) would make a move would be for security for him and his family,” Attanasio said.
Attanasio said Hendry's future with the Cubs would be part of the discussions. “How long is Jim Hendry going to be there?” the agent said. “What if Jim Hendry goes and they bring in some 26-year-old guy with a computer who says, 'We don't need a manager. I can run the club and see what happens.' ”
The Giants also are searching for a manager and have a GM, Brian Sabean, who has strong backing from owner Peter Magowan. Hendry reportedly has interviewed candidates such as Lou Piniella, Joe Girardi and Bob Brenly.
“Boch made the playoffs two years in a row with clubs that probably shouldn't have been there,” Attanasio said. “If Boch does get some interest coming both ways, he's in the best of both worlds. If someone wants to guarantee him for four or five years, why should he not do it? If he stays in San Diego, he wouldn't be disappointed.”
If Bochy departs, candidates to be interviewed could include Oakland A's third base coach Ron Washington. Potential salary savings for '07 could exceed $1 million.
Bellhorn, 2 others cut
The Padres yesterday signed a left-handed pitcher and asked release waivers on three veterans, including infielder Mark Bellhorn.
Signed was 26-year-old Justin Hampton, who had a 1-0 record and a 7.50 earned run average in five late-season appearances (one start) with Colorado. The Rockies' 28th-round pick in 1999, Hampton spent most of last season with their Triple-A affiliate at Colorado Springs, where he had an 8-4 record with a 3.33 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings.
Waived along with Bellhorn were infielder Manny Alexander and relief pitcher Scott Williamson.
Bellhorn, 32, hit only .190 in 253 at-bats with the Padres. He did have eight homers and 27 RBI and had several key hits during the Padres' 19-10 May. Bellhorn started 55 games, including 34 at third base.
Alexander was a late-season promotion from Triple-A Portland after Khalil Greene went on the disabled list. Williamson had a 7.36 ERA in 11 appearances with the Padres.
Bill Center contributed to this report.
Cubs expected to interview Bochy
Padres execs give OK, manager's agent says
By Tom Krasovic
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 13, 2006
NEW YORK – The Cubs have decided they want to interview Bruce Bochy for their managerial opening, and it doesn't appear the Padres will stand in their way.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20061013/images/bochy280.jpg
JIM BAIRD / Union-Tribune
Bruce Bochy's standing with the Padres apparently was hurt by latest playoff ouster.
Denied by the Padres in his attempt to interview Bochy in 2001, Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry made it known yesterday he expects to meet with Bochy soon, according to major league sources. A Cubs official has said Bochy is the No. 1 choice of at least one adviser to Hendry, and perhaps Hendry himself.
Bochy is under contract next year for about $1.9 million, but Bochy's agent, Tony Attanasio, said last night he has gleaned that Padres CEO Sandy Alderson and GM Kevin Towers will allow clubs to interview Bochy, although Bochy isn't seeking a new employer.
“Sandy has a sense of fairness, and that is important to the whole story,” Attanasio said. “Sandy's sense of fairness is inherent in the whole personal situation – (Alderson) would allow Boch to explore any possibility and make his decision.”
Alderson and Towers were unavailable for comment, but events of late 2005 could serve as an apt precedent. Last November, in his first year with the club, Alderson allowed the rival Arizona Diamondbacks to interview Towers. Telling friends he was interviewing only because he thought Arizona would hire him, Towers met with Diamondbacks executives for nearly four hours in Phoenix. Towers didn't get the job and returned to the Padres.
Bochy glance
A look at Bruce Bochy's tenure as Padres manager:
Has won NL West titles in four of 12 seasons
Has five of the franchise's 12 winning seasons
Has nearly as many wins (951) as the next four winningest Padres managers combined (954)
Has won consecutive division titles, a team first
Has made it out of the NLDS only once – when his 1998 team reached the World Series
One of Alderson's predecessors in the CEO job, Larry Lucchino, didn't allow other clubs entree to Bochy. On Lucchino's watch, both the Tigers and the Cubs were denied permission to interview Bochy, who has managed the Padres since 1995.
Bochy's Padres have won two consecutive National League West titles, a franchise first. Both times, the Padres were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Cardinals, who also swept San Diego out of the first round in 1996. The latest ouster, coming Sunday in Game 4 of the five-game series, appeared to hurt Bochy's standing in the organization.
The front office believed the Padres were worthy favorites. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, a former Alderson hire in Oakland, improved to 9-1 in playoff games against Bochy. One day after the Padres were eliminated, Towers, whose friendship with Bochy dates to the 1980s, was unusually brief when asked about Bochy's future with the club.
“Right now, Bruce Bochy is our manager,” he said.
Bochy's salary is among the majors' top 10. The Cubs did not bring back Dusty Baker when his four-year contract worth $14-15 million expired at the end of the season. “The only reason (Bochy) would make a move would be for security for him and his family,” Attanasio said.
Attanasio said Hendry's future with the Cubs would be part of the discussions. “How long is Jim Hendry going to be there?” the agent said. “What if Jim Hendry goes and they bring in some 26-year-old guy with a computer who says, 'We don't need a manager. I can run the club and see what happens.' ”
The Giants also are searching for a manager and have a GM, Brian Sabean, who has strong backing from owner Peter Magowan. Hendry reportedly has interviewed candidates such as Lou Piniella, Joe Girardi and Bob Brenly.
“Boch made the playoffs two years in a row with clubs that probably shouldn't have been there,” Attanasio said. “If Boch does get some interest coming both ways, he's in the best of both worlds. If someone wants to guarantee him for four or five years, why should he not do it? If he stays in San Diego, he wouldn't be disappointed.”
If Bochy departs, candidates to be interviewed could include Oakland A's third base coach Ron Washington. Potential salary savings for '07 could exceed $1 million.
Bellhorn, 2 others cut
The Padres yesterday signed a left-handed pitcher and asked release waivers on three veterans, including infielder Mark Bellhorn.
Signed was 26-year-old Justin Hampton, who had a 1-0 record and a 7.50 earned run average in five late-season appearances (one start) with Colorado. The Rockies' 28th-round pick in 1999, Hampton spent most of last season with their Triple-A affiliate at Colorado Springs, where he had an 8-4 record with a 3.33 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 121 2/3 innings.
Waived along with Bellhorn were infielder Manny Alexander and relief pitcher Scott Williamson.
Bellhorn, 32, hit only .190 in 253 at-bats with the Padres. He did have eight homers and 27 RBI and had several key hits during the Padres' 19-10 May. Bellhorn started 55 games, including 34 at third base.
Alexander was a late-season promotion from Triple-A Portland after Khalil Greene went on the disabled list. Williamson had a 7.36 ERA in 11 appearances with the Padres.
Bill Center contributed to this report.