Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
Dodgers third base coach Tim Wallach has been contacted by the Red Sox to interview for their managing job, a team source confirmed to the Globe. The team's intention to interview Wallach was first reported by the Boston Herald.
"He's a good man," former Astros manager Brad Mills said of Wallach. "He's got the experience handling a team, and he's a very good baseball man."
Wallach was a three-time Gold Glove winner and five-time All-Star at third base for the Montreal Expos, hitting .257 with 260 homers for his career. He was the Dodgers' hitting coach under Jim Tracy and Grady Little. Later, he managed the Triple A Albuquerque Isotopes in 2009-2010, being named Pacific Coast League manager of the year in '09. He has been the Dodgers' third base coach under Don Mattingly since 2011.
Wallach is expected to interview with the Sox next week.
The Red Sox still are focused primarily on John Farrell. There is no word yet on whether the Sox have officially asked the Blue Jays for permission to speak to Farrell, but once they do, compensation will become a factor. It appears the Sox are interviewing a handful of other candidates just in case.
Globe: Sox interested in Wallach
Whoa! A candidate emerges and it's not even Thanksgiving yet! This is...progress!
Bill James must be giddy to see someone who he once called the poor man's Brooks Robinson. For those that don't know about Wallach: he played 17 years in the Majors, 12 of them with the Montreal Expos and was part of the lineup that had Gary Carter, Andre Dawson, & Tim Raines on it. (Somewhere Jonah Keri is getting misty thinking about this era). He was a five-time All Star & a three-time Gold Glove winner.
Coaching wise, he became the hitting coach for the Dodgers under Jim Tracy for a couple of seasons. He was also the manager for the Springfield Albuquerque Isotopes in 2009 & 2010 before taking over the third base coach job that he currently has with the Dodgers.
He was also on the Sox radar last year when they were looking for a manager but he was not able to have the intereview as the request came past a deadline that was stipulated in his contract. Looks like the Sox weren't going to make the same mistake twice. It's also a good thing that they're looking around if in fact the John Farrell negotiations falter. This has been the best news since the Sox/Dodgers trade happened.
PROGRESS!
Rest of the Links: Globe: What the fans want | Players pick more important than manager | Herald: Farrell not alone on Red Sox list | CSNNE: Who stays and who goes? | A's stave off elimination | WEEI: A better way for Red Sox? | Sox interested in Wallach
