The baseball manager carousel goes round and round and can you believe North County is front and center?
Spin baby spin as prospective managers eye openings and general managers peek at resumes.
We’ll focus on three local baseball lifers trying to resurrect their careers with fresh teams.
Encinitas’ A.J. Preller, the Padres’ general manager, took care of business last week. Preller, to no one’s surprise, picked a managerial candidate few had on their lists.
Andy Green is the new Padres skipper and we had to Google him, too.
He comes from Arizona, just like everyone does during our endless summers. But he’s staying put after securing his first gig as a big league skipper.
Green, who played parts of four seasons in the majors, had a presence at his news conference and said the right things.
Whether that translates into the Padres playing meaningful September games will be determined.
“Our tomorrow is brighter than our today,’’ Green, 38, said. “We’ve got good things coming our way if we commit ourselves to the process and stay committed to that process.”
Padres fans hope so after their sixth straight losing season.
That led to Bud Black’s firing, which preceded interim manager Pat Murphy being given the heave-ho an hour after the dreadful year ended.
Preller is banking on beginner’s luck as Green is his first full-time manager he’s selected. Green, who coached third base for the Diamondbacks last season, was chosen over veteran Rod Gardenhire.
“He checked all the boxes,’’ Preller said of Green. “He’s a guy we feel can connect with our organization and players and take us to a different level.’’
While Preller got his man, so did the Washington Nationals. They decided Black was their guy and does anyone here not have a last name associated with a color?
Actually the Nationals were left with a red face.
Washington tried to low-ball Black in the negotiations. First it attempted to give him just one year — good luck with that in a clubhouse full of multi-millionaires. Then it presented him with a compensation package, which was about half the going rate.
Black, a Rancho Santa Fe resident, politely declined. So instead the Nationals turned to Dusty Baker, someone we thought should have been considered in San Diego.
So Black remains a free agent and we haven’t gotten, yet, to his former bench coach, Dave Roberts.
Cardiff’s Roberts has been on jobs.com, too. He interviewed for the Mariners’ opening that went to Scott Servais.
He didn’t interview for the Padres’ position, which was a disservice to him.
But word is the Dodgers kicked his tires and that would make a nice homecoming for someone who stole 118 bases for Los Angeles.
Then again, is Black on the Dodgers’ radar now that he’s on the market again?
Could Black and Roberts reunite in L.A., with Black as the manager and Roberts, again, as his bench coach?
Or maybe Roberts, the former Rancho Buena Vista High star, gets the top step and Black is his bench coach?
We don’t see Black playing second fiddle in anyone’s band. Then again, we saw him landing in the nation’s capital.
Then how about this beauty: Angels manager Mike Scioscia returns to the Dodgers, which opens up the Anaheim gig for Black?
The baseball world is still getting settled. And three North County men are a big part of its comings and goings.
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at jparis_sports.
