The New York Yankees expect to decide who their next manager will be Monday and could make their choice public Tuesday if Major League Baseball allows an announcement, The New York Times reported.
Hank Steinbrenner, who with his brother Hal is taking over leadership of the team from their father, George Steinbrenner, said team officials would decide Monday among candidates Don Mattingly, Joe Girardi and Tony Peña, according to the Times.
The news would be made public Tuesday -- a possible off day between Games 5 and 6 of the World Series -- if commissioner Bud Selig allows the Yankees to do so. Major league teams generally hold off on making big announcements during the series to avoid upstaging baseball's gala event.
"Every club has to do what they think is right,'' Selig said.
"What they're doing now internally, they're entitled to do that.''
Hank Steinbrenner offered no clues on who will succeed Joe Torre as manager, the Times reported.
"As far as myself and [general manager Brian Cashman], there's always been a slight favorite, but only a slight favorite," Hank Steinbrenner said, according to the Times. "Me and Brian have always agreed on who that is. Is Brian's job on the line depending on who the manager is? The answer is no, because we've always agreed on who is the favorite. The final decision hasn't been made."
Mattingly hasn't heard
anything from the Yankees, agent Ray Schulte said, and Girardi said before Game 3 of the World Series that
he hadn't been informed of anything.
Mattingly has no managerial experience, but he is deemed the
favorite to replace Joe Torre. He spent three seasons as New York's
hitting coach before he became Torre's bench coach last year. A
six-time All-Star, Mattingly is among the most beloved players in
Yankees history.
Girardi, a former Yankees player and coach, was voted NL Manager
of the Year in 2006 after keeping Florida in contention until late
in the season.
Girardi, working as a broadcaster Sunday night for Fox Sports from the World Series in Denver, said he had nothing to announce regarding his status as a manager.
"Still former," Girardi said. "Nothing extra tonight."
Girardi was the first to interview Monday, followed by Mattingly
on Tuesday and Pena on Wednesday. Pena won AL Manager of the Year
in 2003 after the Kansas City Royals (83-79) posted their first
winning season since 1994 -- Hank Steinbrenner told The Times that Pena was "definitely under consideration."
"We're going to pick whoever's the best guy for right now, that's the bottom line," he said, according to the Times. "We've got the best baseball people. The Red Sox obviously have some good baseball people, as well, but we've got great baseball people, including some of the guys responsible for the team in the late '90s, one of the greatest teams ever.
"So who am I going to go with? The fans and the media -- or the best and the brightest, the guys that are the smartest baseball people in the country? That's where the final decision's going to be, whether it's Mattingly, Girardi or Peña. The final decision is with ownership, which is the way it should be. But the process Brian set up is spectacular. They really did this right."
The Yankees are seeking a successor for Torre, who declined a one-year offer at a reduced salary after leading the team to four World Series championships and 12 playoff appearances in as many seasons.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.