I guess there’s only one thing to say: Go Marlins.
After watching Grady Little mangle game 7, I have a whole new appreciation for Bob Melvin. In game strategy isn’t everything, but I’m not sure Grady could have made more consecutive wrong decisions if he had money on the Yankees. What an awful job of bullpen management.
According to the Seattle Times, Jim Beattie is not a candidate for the job. No tears lost over here.
Interestingly, Finnigan notes that they have narrowed the list of 60 names down to 6-8 for interviews, though that doesn’t jibe with earlier comments Lincoln has made. Still, it appears obvious that the Mariners won’t be parading through every qualified assistant GM in the book, and it would seem that experience is receiving quite a bit of weight.
The interesting sideline in all of this is that Paul DePodesta is already publically saying his goodbyes to the A’s. He is now referring to his tenure in Oakland in past tense and making comment like “They will still have a good team the next few years.” Clearly, he seems to believe he is going to be elsewhere in 2004. However, he is not a candidate for the Cincinnati job, and the Mets are prominantly tied to Gerry Hunsicker, current GM of the Astros. That would leave Seattle as the only GM opening, and I’m not sure I would see a benefit to him taking another assistant GM job with a new organization. So, does he know something everyone else doesn’t? I doubt it. But it bears watching, and a hire of DePodesta would signal a huge shift in philosophy by the Mariners. I’m not completely sold on the A’s model of player development, but I am rather certain that DePodesta would manage the payroll better than Gillick did. That, in and of itself, would be a big improvement.
Pedro vs Rocket tonight with the World Series on the line. You can’t make this stuff up. Baseball rules.