SAN FRANCISCO -- With Bruce Bochy set to go to Japan on Monday to manage a group of major leaguers in an exhibition tour, the Giants had to move fast to pry him away from the Padres.

 

After a day of talks, that's apparently just what they did. Bochy agreed in principle to take the job left vacant when Felipe Alou's contract was not renewed, two baseball officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday night because the deal was pending.

 

The Giants scheduled a news conference for Friday to announce the deal. The San Jose Mercury News reported Bochy will receive a contract of at least three years for more than $2 million per season.

 

Teams are not allowed to make major announcements during the World Series, but Major League Baseball gave the Giants permission because Bochy is doing the league a favor. He agreed to replace Terry Francona as manager on the Japan tour when the Red Sox manager withdrew due to illness.

 

Bochy was the only candidate with major league managerial experience, something Giants general manager Brian Sabean said would be preferred. Mets third-base coach Manny Acta, Angels pitching coach Bud Black and Giants bench coach Ron Wotus also interviewed for the job.

 

The Giants received permission from the Padres on Wednesday to talk to Bochy, who traveled to the Bay Area earlier Thursday to meet with Sabean and other team officials about becoming Felipe Alou's successor.

 

"If he's available and that's a reality, we'd have to go forward and interview the man," Giants vice president of player personnel Dick Tidrow said earlier Thursday.

 

Besides travel plans, the deal had to come together quickly because the Giants had only a seven-day window in which to come to agreement with Bochy because he is employed by another team. Bochy, who has one year left on his contract, and Sabean already had an informal conversation about the job.

 

Multiple calls to Bochy's cell phone went unreturned Thursday. Calls and e-mails to Sabean and Giants' executive vice president Admin Baer on Thursday night were not immediately returned.

 

Earlier in the day, Padres general manager Kevin Towers already was preparing for Bochy's possible departure.

 

"We certainly have to do our due diligence to come up with a list of candidates ourselves, a group of people we would probably interview if Bruce ends up leaving," Towers said in a phone interview. "I would imagine we'd know something by the weekend, because it probably would be hard to negotiate with Bruce going to Japan."

 

Bochy, 51, who just finished his 12th season as the Padres' manager, has guided San Diego to back-to-back NL West titles and is the winningest manager in franchise history. He has spent the last 24 years in the organization, dating to his playing days.

 

He is due to make $1.9 million in guaranteed money in 2007 and would be San Francisco's most expensive choice among the club's top candidates. But Bochy's experience and familiarity with the division certainly made him an immediate favorite.

 

Giants first baseman Mark Sweeney, who played for Bochy in San Diego for 3? seasons, believes his former skipper would be a good fit in San Francisco.

 

"The one thing it's going to do -- and it's good for our organization -- is if there are potential free agents looking for a manager to play for, Bochy's that guy," Sweeney said. "It would definitely benefit us in getting some free agents who might go elsewhere. I just think that goes a long way in deciding a team. It adds to it that you get a guy who has that credibility and experience."

 

San Francisco, which has 11 potential free agents including Barry Bonds, did not renew the 71-year-old Alou's contract after the Giants finished their second straight losing season and third in a row out of the playoffs.

 

Black is expected to interview with the Oakland Athletics about their managerial opening and could become a candidate to replace Bochy.

 

Bochy's Padres made the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time ever but were eliminated in the first round for the second straight year by the St. Louis Cardinals. San Diego did win a postseason game for the first time since clinching the NL pennant in 1998.

ugh...

out of all the possible candidates, they choose Bruce f'n Bochy?

SOmetimes I think Brian Sabean is trying to destroy this franchise

eh, he's still better than Dusty or Felipe

ugh...

out of all the possible candidates, they choose Bruce f'n Bochy?

SOmetimes I think Brian Sabean is trying to destroy this franchise

eh, he's still better than Dusty or Felipe

Bochy is alright.

Oakland third base coach Ron Washington has done the interview circuit this offseason, and it looks like it will pay off in a regular gig.

Multiple media reports on Sunday night said that the Texas Rangers will name Washington their new manager, as soon as Monday afternoon.

 

Washington, who also interviewed for the vacant managerial job with the A's, met with the Rangers for the third time on Sunday. Texas owner Tom Hicks was present at that meeting.

 

"It was a great meeting," Hicks told the Dallas Morning News. "I was very impressed with his baseball knowledge and his insight into people."

 

Washington appears to have beaten out Rangers bench coach Don Wakamatsu and Japanese league manager Trey Hillman.

 

"I was shocked," Washington told the San Francisco Chronicle on Sunday. "I went there thinking that they weren't going to make their decision, they just wanted to meet me. I just went there to be myself, and the next thing I know, I had the job. So, it really went well. I'm still trying to soak it in."

 

The Rangers fired Buck Showalter, who managed the team for the last four seasons, on Oct. 4 after an 80-82 season. Washington, 54, has high hopes for a speedy turnaround.

 

"The Rangers have a very good nucleus," Washington told MLB.com. "With the nucleus they have, they are very capable of taking it to the next level and with the guys in charge, I think I can help them take that to the next level. They are right on the edge."

 

Washington spent 11 years as a coach in Oakland after a 10-year professional baseball career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros. He ended his career in the Triple-A affiliate of the Rangers.

 

The Chronicle reports that the A's, meanwhile, will continue their search by meeting with Angels pitching coach Bud Black Monday afternoon, Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk on Tuesday, ESPN analyst Orel Hershiser on Wednesday and Mets third base coach Manny Acta on Sunday.

 

A's bench coach Bob Geren and Hillman already spoke with the Oakland brass.

Report: Padres to name Bud Black new manager

November 8, 2006

 

SAN DIEGO (Ticker) - After serving as one of baseball's best pitching coaches for the better part of a decade, Bud Black apparently will get his chance to manage.

 

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported Wednesday on its web site that the San Diego Padres have chosen Black as their new manager.

 

According to the report, Black will attend the team's award banquet in San Diego on Thursday. The 49-year-old Black would replace Bruce Bochy, who signed a three-year deal to manage the San Francisco Giants last month after guiding the Padres for the last 12 seasons.

 

Black spent the last seven seasons as the pitching coach for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, who used their strong pitching to reach the postseason three times in the past five campaigns, including a World Series title in 2002. The Angels finished in the top three for team ERA in the American League three times in that span.

 

Black pitched in the majors for 14-plus seasons with the Giants, the Kansas City Royals, the Cleveland Indians, the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays, posting a 121-116 record and a 3.84 ERA. The lefthander helped the Royals win the World Series in 1985.

 

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so acta is going to manage the nats...good choice me thinks...but it doesnt really matter too much since bowden is still their GM

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=2657946

BOSTON -- The Red Sox are nearly finished with the revamping of their coaching staff. This, after the club announced on Monday that Gary Tuck will be the new bullpen coach.

 

Tuck joins pitching coach John Farrell and hitting coach Dave Magadan as new members of Boston's Major League staff for 2007. The Red Sox are still looking for a first-base coach to replace Bill Haselman, who left the organization to pursue other opportunities.

 

This is the second consecutive offseason the Sox have hired a new bullpen coach. Al Nipper was promoted to that role last year, but wound up spending the entire year as the pitching coach due to the hip woes of Dave Wallace.

 

When Farrell was hired as pitching coach last month, general manager Theo Epstein said that Nipper was a candidate to serve as bullpen coach for 2007. Though the Red Sox decided to go in another direction, the club is discussing other options with Nipper for next season. Ralph Treuel, who served as Boston's interim bullpen coach last season, will return to his former role as Minor League pitching coordinator.

 

Tuck served as the bench coach for the Marlins in 2006. He has 23 years of professional coaching experience for the Astros, Yankees, Indians and Marlins organizations. In fact, Tuck won World Series rings as the Yankees' catching instructor in 1998-99.

 

Manager Terry Francona's coaching staff has just two holdovers -- bench coach Brad Mills and third-base coach DeMarlo Hale.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article...sp&c_id=mlb

WASHINGTON ? (AP) ? Manny Acta was hired by the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, making him the youngest manager in the major leagues.

 

The 37-year-old Acta, a coach with the New York Mets the past two years, replaces 71-year-old Frank Robinson, who was told during the final week of the season that he wouldn't be back.

 

The Nationals went 71-91 in 2006, finishing in last place in the NL East for the third consecutive season. New

ownership, led by team president Stan Kasten, is overseeing an overhaul of the team in hopes of being competitive when

Washington's new stadium opens in 2008.

 

"We have a very good plan in place here. We're going to do it the right way,'' Acta said. "We're going to be

patient, and we're going to bring a winner here, sooner (rather) than later.''

 

Acta will lead what could be an inexperienced roster next season, although he does know some Nationals veterans: He

worked as Robinson's third-base coach with the Montreal Expos from 2002-04, before the franchise moved to Washington.

 

"Everyone who's been with him has raved about him,'' Kasten said. "He came in here probably more prepared than

any candidate we had, knowing our roster, knowing the holes in our roster.''

 

Acta agreed to a two-year contract with two one-year club options.

 

While Robinson was a Hall of Fame player who hit 586 homers, then managed in the majors for 16 seasons, Acta's

playing days ended in the minors and this is his first job as a big league manager.

 

"Frank was more of an old-school guy. We're going to have to wait and see how it's going to be with Manny,'' said

Nationals catcher Brian Schneider, a member of the Expos during Acta's tenure. "He's young. He's motivated. He's

waited to do this for a long time. He knows the game of baseball.''

 

Said third baseman Ryan Zimmerman: "You go from a guy who has 50-something years in the game to a guy who's just started. It's going to be quite a different feel, but I think Manny will do just fine.''

 

Acta has managed in the minors and in the Dominican Winter League, and he led the Dominican Republic to the semifinals at the World Baseball Classic this year.

 

During that tournament, Acta benched a struggling Alfonso Soriano ? the All-Star who hit 46 homers and stole 41 bases for the Nationals in 2006 and has filed for free agency.

 

Acta said Soriano was the first player who called to congratulate him on being hired by the Nationals ? although

the new manager indicated he figures the size of a contract offer will have more to do with where Soriano winds up.

 

Washington interviewed several managerial candidates, with varying degrees of experience; Lou Piniella and Joe Girardi both said they withdrew from consideration.

 

Acta played six seasons of minor league baseball in the Houston Astros' organization before becoming a coach in

Class-A in 1992. That began a climb, first through the minors, then the majors, culminating in Tuesday's

announcement.

 

"He seems like a great guy that knows a whole lot about the game,'' Zimmerman said. "I think he'll be a great fit.

He's young and energetic. He's really excited to have this job.''

 

The Nationals are the sixth team to hire a new manager this offseason, and the fourth to go with someone without

previous managing experience in the majors.

 

There's still one opening, with the Oakland Athletics. Acta was to interview with the A's last weekend, but he

pulled himself out of the running Friday after the Nationals told him he was their man.

 

"Manny Acta just fit so many categories, as far as being a leader, a motivator, a disciplinarian, someone that

believes in pitching and defense, someone that believes in playing the game the right way,'' said general manager Jim

Bowden, who flew back to Washington from the GM meetings in Naples, Fla., for the news conference.

 

"Fundamentals-oriented. High energy. Great work ethic. He just seemed to fit everything we were looking for.''

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Bob Geren will be promoted from bench coach to manager of the Oakland Athletics, according to a high-ranking baseball official.

 

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the team won't introduce Geren as its new manager until Friday, filling the final managerial vacancy in the major leagues this offseason, one month after the A's fired Ken Macha.

 

General manager Billy Beane went with the most experience and the familiar face, his longtime friend and former high school baseball opponent in San Diego.

 

A's closer Huston Street said he heard Thursday from Geren, who told the pitcher he got the job.

 

"I'm really excited," said Street, the 2005 AL Rookie of the Year. "He's already called me and we've spoken a little bit. I spent my first full year in the big leagues with him in the bullpen. He was the first professional coach I got a feel for and got to understand. What he brings is someone dedicated to the team and dedicated to his players. He's got a good feel for the team and that's a real positive for all of us."

 

Of the three finalists, a list that also included Colorado Rockies bench coach Jamie Quirk and ESPN baseball analyst and former Texas Rangers pitching coach Orel Hershiser, only Geren had managerial experience. He was the first to interview for the job on Oct. 30.

 

Beane and assistant GM David Forst both were traveling Thursday night and not immediately available for comment. Messages left for Geren weren't immediately returned.

 

Geren, a catcher for five seasons with the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres, spent the 2006 season as bench coach in Oakland after three seasons as bullpen coach in his first stint on a major league coaching staff. He joined the organization in 1999 as manager of Class-A Modesto, then spent the next three seasons managing at Triple-A Sacramento.

 

The 45-year-old Geren, the best man in Beane's second wedding, had to at least have some confidence in his status with the organization: He bought a house in the Bay Area this year.

 

Neither Beane nor Geren wanted this to be about their friendship but rather strictly about business, though they believe that having an understanding and a trust certainly won't hurt.

 

Geren said his credentials should speak to his ability. Beane has long considered Geren managing material -- interviewing him last year when the club briefly parted ways with Macha before re-signing him about a week later.

 

Geren thought working as bench coach for a season benefited him because he could see what worked and what things he might have done differently in the top job.

 

Macha was fired after four seasons on Oct. 16, two days after Oakland was swept by the wild-card Detroit Tigers in the AL championship series. The A's won a playoff series for the first time since 1990, ending a string of four straight first-round exits from 2000-03.

 

Quirk played the final three of his 18 major league seasons for Oakland, and Beane had said any of the candidates would have been great hires for the small-market A's.

 

Beane took his time in the process and watched three candidates leave for managerial jobs elsewhere: Longtime A's third-base coach Ron Washington went to Texas, Angels pitching coach Bud Black became skipper in San Diego, and Mets third-base coach Manny Acta was hired this week as manager of the Washington Nationals.

 

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