the other line I liked was: “Not everyone mentioned in stories was a candidate,” Armstrong said, “and there hasn’t been complete accuracy on candidates who’ve been eliminated, either.”

“There are people we want to talk to who have signed contracts with their current team that don’t allow them to seek another position,” Armstrong said. “We’ve called a number of clubs to seek permission to interview one of their employees and run into these contracts.”

That kind of deal goes against the baseball norm, whether it’s a coach asked to interview for an open managerial job or a front office type given a shot at moving up the ladder.
In fact, commissioner Bud Selig apparently hadn’t heard of such contracts, and his office is looking into the matter.

Link

David, Derek?
What is this all about?

So, is it those guys, or guys like them, exluding them? You assume the casual fan knows anything about David Forst or Tony LaCava?

On a side note, Derek, all of a sudden the right side bar is on the bottom of the page below all other content. I’m at work using IE, so not sure what Firefox looks like.

DePodesta’s omission is a disappointment, though I doubt the M’s would have gone there anyhow. He does list one with previous experience who’d be a more interesting choice, Terry Ryan. Not too disappointed about him being out of the conversation either, though.

On the leader-board: I like Lacava, but Hahn and Ng both seem like only half a hire as long as they’d need to then hire a good talent evaluator to complete themselves. Maybe Engle and Fontaine are enough for that, but I worry a little at Looper still being around as well as whether Fontaine might want out.

Is there a reason nobody is talking about Mike Chernoff, with Antonetti off the table? Is it too soon for him now?

I’m convinced that — with a couple of notable exceptions — just about everything and everyone the sportswriters in this town decide to like or dislike is driven primarily (and in many cases entirely) by what makes their own lives easier or more difficult.

Apparently he worked for the M’s and is paid general managers salary because they really don’t want him to leave.

In the case of Ng: Yes she is ready but she needs a good upper-management and ownership to be successful. Seattle has neither, also she needs to be a National League GM first before she makes the move to the AL because she has only ever worked in the NL. Many need time to adjust( back to Theo as an example he had almost the entire 2002 season in the AL before assuming the top job).

Please challenge me if you disagree.

Uh, you are aware Ng spent years in the American League working with various clubs as an analyst and later waivers director? Plus, before taking her current job with the Dodgers she was assistant GM to that famed small market team called the Yankees.

Recurring reports that some kind of arrangement would discourage if not prevent him from interviewing. A contract like DePodesta, an understanding that he’ll succeed Shapiro, something like that. To me it looks like teams are stepping up the extent to which they lock up front office talent, rather than letting them get away under the tradition that you don’t stand in the way when they have a chance at a promotion.