Mattingly to interview for managerial job
Bench coach to meet with ownership sometime next week
Don Mattingly will travel to New York next week to interview for the Yankees' managerial vacancy, his agent has confirmed. The Yankees plan to interview a group of as many as five or six candidates in the days following Joe Torre's rejection of a performance-based one-year contract offer, senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner told the Associated Press on Friday. "We'll see how that goes," Steinbrenner said. "The job, there's been no real decision on that yet. They're going to be real interviews, and probably starting next week." Mattingly's agent, Ray Schulte said that general manager Brian Cashman reached out to the former Yankees captain on Friday to express the club's interest in him for the position. "Don confirmed his interest and will travel sometime midweek to meet with Yankee ownership," Schulte said. Cashman did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. "We're all willing to undertake the challenge ahead of us to find the next man who's best suited to represent this franchise in that dugout," Cashman said on Thursday. "It's an enormous position." Earlier in the day, Mattingly released a statement praising his mentor, saying, "Joe Torre exhibits class, dignity and a winning attitude both on and off the field. Those of us who coached or played under Joe know he is someone very, very special." Mattingly, 45, completed his first season as Torre's bench coach in 2007 following three years of service as the Yankees' hitting coach, but he has never managed at any level -- save for two games as a fill-in this year while Torre served a pair of one-game suspensions. His selection could have the support of players in a clubhouse that has already spoken highly of Torre's tenure. "I think there are some people that can step in and make the transition easier for some guys," Johnny Damon told the New York Daily News. "I know Don Mattingly is a guy that everybody on the team has great respect for, and I think if it's not going to be Joe, a lot of players are probably hoping it's Donnie. He's learned a lot from Joe, he works hard -- I think Donnie's ready." One of the most popular figures in franchise history, Mattingly batted .307 with 1,099 RBIs in a 14-year career (1982 through 1995), collecting 2,153 hits to rank sixth on the club's all-time list. A nine-time Gold Glove Award winner and the 1985 American League MVP, then-team captain Mattingly finally made the playoffs after a career-long wait in 1995, only to see his Yankees defeated in the American League Division Series by the Seattle Mariners. His career shortened by chronic back injuries, Mattingly retired following that season and was replaced at first base by Tino Martinez before the Torre era began with the club's 22nd World Series title, in 1996. Joe Girardi, the National League's Manager of the Year for 2006, is another leading candidate for the position, and Cashman told the Journal-News of Westchester, N.Y. that first-base coach Tony Pena will also be interviewed. One additional candidate thought to have been considered for the position, Trey Hillman, accepted the Royals' managerial position on Friday. Steinbrenner told the AP that the Yankees did not expect to make a final decision until after the World Series. "I would assume it would be after that," Steinbrenner said. "After we do the interviews, we'll be talking about it before we make a final decision."
Don Mattingly will travel to New York next week to interview for the Yankees' managerial vacancy, his agent has confirmed. The Yankees plan to interview a group of as many as five or six candidates in the days following Joe Torre's rejection of a performance-based one-year contract offer, senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner told the Associated Press on Friday. "We'll see how that goes," Steinbrenner said. "The job, there's been no real decision on that yet. They're going to be real interviews, and probably starting next week." Mattingly's agent, Ray Schulte said that general manager Brian Cashman reached out to the former Yankees captain on Friday to express the club's interest in him for the position. "Don confirmed his interest and will travel sometime midweek to meet with Yankee ownership," Schulte said. Cashman did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment. "We're all willing to undertake the challenge ahead of us to find the next man who's best suited to represent this franchise in that dugout," Cashman said on Thursday. "It's an enormous position." Earlier in the day, Mattingly released a statement praising his mentor, saying, "Joe Torre exhibits class, dignity and a winning attitude both on and off the field. Those of us who coached or played under Joe know he is someone very, very special." Mattingly, 45, completed his first season as Torre's bench coach in 2007 following three years of service as the Yankees' hitting coach, but he has never managed at any level -- save for two games as a fill-in this year while Torre served a pair of one-game suspensions. His selection could have the support of players in a clubhouse that has already spoken highly of Torre's tenure. "I think there are some people that can step in and make the transition easier for some guys," Johnny Damon told the New York Daily News. "I know Don Mattingly is a guy that everybody on the team has great respect for, and I think if it's not going to be Joe, a lot of players are probably hoping it's Donnie. He's learned a lot from Joe, he works hard -- I think Donnie's ready." One of the most popular figures in franchise history, Mattingly batted .307 with 1,099 RBIs in a 14-year career (1982 through 1995), collecting 2,153 hits to rank sixth on the club's all-time list. A nine-time Gold Glove Award winner and the 1985 American League MVP, then-team captain Mattingly finally made the playoffs after a career-long wait in 1995, only to see his Yankees defeated in the American League Division Series by the Seattle Mariners. His career shortened by chronic back injuries, Mattingly retired following that season and was replaced at first base by Tino Martinez before the Torre era began with the club's 22nd World Series title, in 1996. Joe Girardi, the National League's Manager of the Year for 2006, is another leading candidate for the position, and Cashman told the Journal-News of Westchester, N.Y. that first-base coach Tony Pena will also be interviewed. One additional candidate thought to have been considered for the position, Trey Hillman, accepted the Royals' managerial position on Friday. Steinbrenner told the AP that the Yankees did not expect to make a final decision until after the World Series. "I would assume it would be after that," Steinbrenner said. "After we do the interviews, we'll be talking about it before we make a final decision."
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