Claws for Concern
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OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- 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.
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 any 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.
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.
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 any 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.
