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Indians working on managerial candidates
CLEVELAND, Ohio, Oct 08, 2009 (Akron Beacon Journal - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) --
General Manager Mark Shapiro will forgo throwing darts at a target to choose a new manager for the Indians.
Instead, Shapiro and his lieutenant, assistant general manager Chris Antonetti, have developed a careful screening process that will winnow down the number of candidates to fewer than 10, then further trim the list to no more than five.
Shapiro is in no hurry. Since some of his candidates might be wearing the uniforms of teams involved in the postseason, he might not get permission to talk to them until their clubs have been eliminated from the playoffs. If any of his prospective managers continue on in the postseason through the end of the World Series, Shapiro might not be permitted to contact them until early November.
"Chris and I have spent quite an amount of time on the phone canvassing people to get a comprehensive list of candidates," Shapiro said Wednesday.
The GM has received calls from people trying to solicit interest in themselves or their friends. Mostly, he and Antonetti have phoned around former or current managers and front-office executives, coaches and even players for opinions about men they are considering for inclusion on their list.
"I think we're getting close to getting our eight to 10 guys," Shapiro said. "Our initial list _ I wouldn't call it long _ but it probably was close to 30."
Shapiro and Antonetti will take the next step at the Tribe's spring-training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., where they also will check out the club's prospects in the Arizona Fall League.
"We should be able to get down to eight to 10 in about a week, but we don't expect to arrive at the final three to five until end of the month," Shapiro said.
At this point, Shapiro has not conducted interviews with any candidate, nor has he asked permission to speak to a candidate employed by another club.
When Shapiro pares his list to no more than five, he will bring each man to Cleveland for an interview. He also will make each prospective manager available to the media.
Shapiro has formulated specific benchmarks for would-be managers ever since he hired Eric Wedge to replace Charlie Manuel seven years ago. Wedge was fired last week.
"I have a list of criteria that goes back to Charlie Manuel," Shapiro said. "It's a general framework that keeps evolving. There are certain things that made a good manager in 1940 that still apply today."
What standards will a new manager have to live up to?
"Most important, he has to be a good communicator internally and externally," Shapiro said. "He has to communicate to our market. He also must be able to assemble a quality staff and be able to utilize that staff."
Shapiro also mentioned the importance of leadership and being able to manage a game. He seemed to put special emphasis on handling the bullpen.
Another criteria: being able to develop young players.
"That's not just important but essential in our situation," Shapiro said.
So who is on Shapiro's list? He wouldn't say, but he gave one small hint.
"One guy who will be on the list of eight to 10 is an internal candidate," he said.
Most likely he was talking about Triple-A manager Torey Lovullo.
Could former Indians players or coaches be on the list? There are plenty available.
That list includes Buddy Bell, Sandy Alomar, Tony Pena, John Farrell, Joey Cora, Kevin Seitzer, Brook Jacoby, Glenallen Hill, Richie Dauer, Harold Baines, Alfredo Griffin, Rick Adair, George Hendrick, Marquis Grissom and Dave Duncan.
Many of these rank as the longest of long shots for various reasons, but it does demonstrate that many former players with Cleveland connections get around.
Shapiro did not exclude the possibility of hiring someone with no major-league experience as a manager or a coach, though he considers those valuable attributes.
"There are certain benefits to managing before, but I don't think it's essential," he said.
Will Shapiro be able to afford the manager of his choice?
"I talked to (owners) Larry and Paul (Dolan)," he said. "I can't foresee that being an issue."
The new coaching staff will be a "collaboration," with Shapiro and the new manager contributing input.
Some coaching candidates will come from the Tribe's farm system. In that regard, Triple-A Columbus hitting coach Jon Nunnally and Lovullo might be strong entries.
(c) 2009, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).
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