News
Valentine, Lovullo among Tribe finalists
Shapiro sheds light on field after Acta interviews
By Steve Herrick / Special to MLB.com
10/21/09 5:40 PM EST
CLEVELAND -- The Indians are narrowing their list of potential candidates to be their next manager. Manny Acta was in town Tuesday for an interview. Veteran Major League manager Bobby Valentine will be in Cleveland on Thursday, and Torey Lovullo, who has been the Indians' Triple-A manager the past four years, will be in town Friday. Dodgers bench coach Don Mattingly was interviewed last week by phone. General manager Mark Shapiro wouldn't confirm that Mattingly will come to Cleveland for an interview, but did say one of the other finalists had "current obligations." The Dodgers are playing the Phillies in the National League Championship Series. Philadelphia leads the series, 3-1, and could end it in Game 5 on Wednesday. Shapiro also said he's considering two unnamed candidates. Shapiro added Mike Hargrove, who managed the Indians from 1991-99 and former Cleveland third baseman Travis Fryman, who manages the Indians' Class A Mahoning Valley team, are not finalists for the job. Shapiro said he interviewed "nine or 10" candidates by phone last week. Hargrove managed the Indians to five consecutive American League Central titles from 1995-99 and told reporters last week that he wanted to return to the job. "Mike and I talked a couple of times," Shapiro said. "He's a guy I have an immense level of respect for and an appreciation of. I made the decision at this time that it just wasn't the right fit for a variety of reasons." Fryman's inclusion as a candidate was a surprise since he has been managing in the Minors for only two seasons. "Based on our respect for who he is, we did spend an afternoon talking to him," Shapiro said. "The more he worked into it, the more it was clear he has a desire to do it and will do it in an impactful way at some point. I still think managing some more games will make him a better candidate down the road." Shapiro doesn't know when Valentine, who is working for ESPN during the playoffs, will come to Cleveland for his interview. Valentine managed the Mets to the World Series in 2000. He has a career mark of 1,117-1,072 with the Mets and Rangers. Valentine has managed in Japan the past six seasons.Steve Herrick is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
