Rays not Macha's only chance at manager job

© St. Petersburg Times
published October 5, 2002

MINNEAPOLIS -- If the Rays want to interview Oakland bench coach Ken Macha, they have to get in line. The Brewers and Mets on Friday requested permission to talk to Macha; the Cubs and Tigers already had.

Macha said he wants to manage and won't eliminate any teams.

But he also suggested it may be a better situation if the manager and general manager have a prior relationship, and he doesn't have one with Rays GM Chuck LaMar, though he did interview for the Pirates managerial job with former Pittsburgh GM Cam Bonifay, now the Rays director of player personnel. Macha worked for Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski when both were in Montreal.

"I talked to Lou Piniella when we were in Seattle, and he said, 'I hope you get the opportunity, and it's a real nice thing if you get the opportunity where you're on the same page with the GM. That way you give yourself as much chance to succeed as possible,' " he said. "So we'll just have to see how it plays out."

In Seattle, Mariners spokesman Matt Roebuck said of Piniella, also rumored to be a Rays candidate: "He's our manager. We want him back."

TRITONS ARE COMING: The Rays open the 2003 exhibition season Feb. 28 against Eckerd College at Florida Power Park.