BALTIMORE - Orioles first-base coach Rick Dempsey interviewed for Baltimore's vacant managerial position Thursday.
Dempsey, 54, who played 111/2 seasons with the Orioles, was the fourth candidate to interview for the job. Hall of Famer Eddie Murray, Orioles bench coach Sam Perlozzo and Milwaukee bench coach Rich Dauer also have been interviewed.
"I lived the history of the Baltimore Orioles," Dempsey said. "I know what it means to the people of this town. We deserve to be in a pennant race every year."
ASTROS: GM Gerry Hunsicker signed a one-year contract extension to remain with the team through 2005, ending his candidacy for the same job with the Mets.
METS: The team settled a dispute with the city by agreeing to pay $2.75-million in back rent from 1995-2001 to the Department of Parks and Recreation.
LAWSUIT: An ex-employee sued MLB for $3.4-million, alleging she was subjected to racial slurs and then fired after she complained. In a lawsuit filed in federal court in New York, Juri Morioka said the hostilities were evident while she worked for a year as an administrative assistant in baseball's broadcasting department. Rich Levin, a spokesman for the commissioner's office said, "The (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) investigated it and found the charges were unfounded."
