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No Indication From Yanks On Manager

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A Tribune staff, wire report

Published: October 26, 2007

NEW YORK - The interviews are over. Now all the New York Yankees have to do is hire Joe Torre's replacement.

That decision should come by the end of the World Series, even if the announcement has to wait.

After completing interviews with bench coach Don Mattingly, broadcaster Joe Girardi and first-base coach Tony Pena, General Manager Brian Cashman and senior vice president of baseball operations Mark Newman joined Hank Steinbrenner and others Thursday at the team's spring training home in Tampa. Team president Randy Levine planned to return to New York.

Hank Steinbrenner, a son of Owner George Steinbrenner, said New York will decide on a manager by the end of the World Series.

'There has been widespread speculation about who the next manager of The New York Yankees will be. The evaluation process is continuing and there will be no immediate decision or announcement,' said Howard Rubenstein, a spokesman for the owner.

The Yankees' baseball operations executives were to come up with a recommendation for the team's top officials, which likely will carry a lot of weight.

Teams aren't allowed to make major announcements during the World Series, but if New York wanted to do so today, an off day, Commissioner Bud Selig probably would give his permission.

'As far as making the decision, it will be before the end of the Series. No question,' Hank Steinbrenner said. 'As far as when we announce it, we're going to obviously honor the wishes of the commissioner.'

Mattingly, who has no managerial experience, is considered the favorite to land the job. He spent three seasons as New York's hitting coach before he became Torre's bench coach last year. A six-time All-Star, Mattingly is among the most beloved players in Yankees history.

Girardi, a former Yankees player and coach, was voted NL Manager of the Year in 2006 after keeping Florida in contention until late in the season.

Pena won AL Manager of the Year in 2003 after the Royals went 83-79.

DEVIL RAYS: Tampa Bay claimed outfielder Chris Snelling off waivers from Oakland and released right-handed reliever Jay Witasick.

Snelling, a 25-year-old from Australia, batted .246 with a home run and seven RBIs in 30 games for Washington and the Athletics before suffering a season-ending knee injury on May 10.

Witasick, 35, had a 5.17 ERA in 36 relief appearances for the Rays this past season.

PHILLIES: Former Tampa Bay general manager Chuck LaMar was hired by Philadelphia as director of professional scouting.

LaMar joins the Phillies after one season with the Washington Nationals as special assistant to the general manager and national crosschecker. He was Tampa Bay's GM from the franchise's inception through the 2005 season, leading the Devil Rays to last-place finishes in seven of eight years.

CARDINALS: Released left-handed pitcher Mike Maroth. Maroth went 0-5 with a 10.66 ERA in 14 appearances. He also spent time on the disabled list with elbow injuries.

In June, the Cardinals acquired him from Detroit for cash and a player to be named later.

WORLD SERIES RATINGS: Viewers tuned out as the night went on and the Red Sox pulled away from the Rockies in the Game 1 blowout at the World Series.

Boston's 13-1 win over Colorado on Wednesday drew a 10.5 fast national rating on Fox, up 31 percent from the record-low 8.0 for last year's Game 1. The 2006 World Series opener, though, was on a Saturday, a night when fewer people typically watch TV.

The 10.5 was the fourth-lowest rating for a World Series game on a night other than Friday or Saturday, when viewership tends to be lower, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The rating grew to a 12.5 at 9 p.m., but had plummeted to an 8.1 two hours later after the Red Sox scored seven runs in the fifth inning.

LEGAL: Former All-Star relief pitcher Jeff Reardon was released from court supervision , a year after being found not guilty by reason of insanity for robbing a jewelry store in Palm Beach Gardens.

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