On Monday the Red Sox began their search for a new manager in earnest when they interviewed current Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin for the position.
The first of the handful of candidates new General Manager Ben Cherington intends to interview, Mackanin has over forty years of experience in Major League Baseball, the first eight of those years spent as a second baseman and the rest spent mostly scouting, coaching, and (interim) managing. In 2005, after having been the bench coach since 2003, he was chosen as the interim manager for the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last month of the season when Lloyd McClendon was fired.  Although hired as a scout in 2007, he became the interim manager for the Cincinnati Reds that year after Jerry Narron was fired (being replaced by Dusty Baker).  So while his managing career has been brief, his baseball career is extensive.
Mackanin’s interview lasted almost nine hours and the only indication he gave as to what went on was that there were some in-game scenarios presented to him where he was asked to make the call. He then joked with the media and spoke of his belief that a team doesn’t need a “big-name” manager to be successful.  Given the success the Red Sox had with Terry Francona, there probably aren’t many people in Boston who disagree with that.
Next up for the Red Sox is an interview with former Boston third base coach and current Milwaukee Brewers batting coach Dale Sveum on Wednesday. Â The Red Sox haven’t given any indication of any other specific people they’ll be interviewing but expect there to be four or five more interviews, at the very least.
(Originally published on Examiner.com)