Yesterday before Torey Lovullo faced the media, we had a bit of news break about another candidate being in the running.
When Acta interviewed and Mark Shapiro spoke to the media, he noted that there could be two more candidates added to the process..
He also mentioned that one of the four had current obligations.
Everyone assumed that was Don Mattingly. (And by the by, it appears ever so much that LA has intent on keeping him so he can take over for Torre after 2010 if that's the case.)
But now that Ron Roenicke has been included into the discussion, who really knows?
The general thought to be believed is the three that have interviewed (Acta, Valentine, Lovullo) are candidates with Mattingly, who has yet to schedule an interview or even be confirmed by Cleveland, and now Ron Roenicke. It's also believed to be that Clint Hurdle is the other unnamed candidate.
The LA Times report has the Indians have asked and been granted permission from Los Angeles to speak with Ron Roenicke.
There is still some uncertainty if Roenicke is actually a finalist or if that permission was from when the Indians first had a list of 10 candidates they wanted to speak to over the phone.
Let me just say right now that I had Ron Roenicke in my top five guys to go after. In fact, if you remove Gonzalez and remember I had Bobby V at the top of my list, Roenicke is someone I'm very high on.
I wanna know more though. Acta and Lovullo were so impressive in their media sessions. I want to see what Roenicke brings to the table because he's a bit of an unknown. We've got three interviews down and if the Indians are in fact considering both Roenicke and Hurdle, they'll have three more left.
Three down because yesterday, Torey Lovullo interviewed.
And damn.
If he was anything like he was with the media, the Indians are going to have a bit of a tough decision to make and an even tougher decision to tell Lovullo, You are probably the best candidate, but we're going somewhere else.
If Lovullo had an ounce of major league experience, I think he'd be a slam dunk. It seems as if there would be a backlash and a "Eric Wedge 2.0" cry if the Indians made this hire, that it doesn't matter what Lovullo says.
Everyone just hears Wedge 2.0.
Not the case in the least bit.
The guy killed his media interview. He did... Let's go.
You can see five or so minutes of his session in Hoynes' article.
I'll look for the full audio, which is something I had earlier but the Plain Dealer has replaced it. I listened to the whole audio and damnit he rocked.
Familiarity was the key I highlighted in my pre-interview case for Lovullo and that's obviously something he knew was an advantage and he used it. Smart man.
"I've had almost everyone of these guys," said Lovullo, the third man to interview for the Indians manager job in the last four days. "That's a built-in advantage I may have over other candidates. When that's all said and done, how much that impacts their decision, that's up to them."
"I'm familiar with what motivates these players," said Lovullo. "There won't be a feeling-out process. They understand my beliefs. I think that initially will help us get off on the right foot."
While he may be managing in the big leagues for the first time, he may have an adjustment period in that sense. But he's adjusting to being a major league manager as compared to a manager. It will be a learning process, but given some of the success guys like Don Wakamatsu have had recently, is it really that big of a deal?
He's got something all these other guys don't. He's got a bond with the team. He doesn't have to earn as much trust and respect as someone like Acta or Valentine would.
That's huge.
"One might say I was groomed in this system," Lovullo said. "I was groomed by the people who just sat with me and talked baseball with me. There's a great level of comfort in a lot of different areas."
What I came away with in this is how... Assertive Lovullo was. The best part of the whole thing was when someone would ask him a question and he would take it on as if he was the only one that had the answer. The question would get asked, he'd say "certainly," pause and then answer the question.
The media used his as a spot to ask him a lot of questions about the team and about last season. Where as someone like Acta and Valentine weren't asked about Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta. That is what happened here and Lovullo did great. Along with that, they asked him about certain things you could tell was directed at some of the flaws Wedge had.
Some of the qualities and ideas that Lovullo would bring to the table.
"What I think I'll bring to the team is some young, enthusiastic energy," he said. "I enjoy the art of teaching. I enjoy the idea of going out and being a leader. All managers possess the same qualities and have the same ideas. There are certain things you can do in the structure of being that leader that can help a ballclub. That's what my intentions are."
When asked about someone he looked up to as far as being a manager, he named Terry Francona.
When asked about what he would do to try and eliminate the slow starts, he went back to spring training and proposed an idea that I thought was absolute brilliance and something we should do anyway.
He said he'd take the team on the road three days before the season, as so many other teams are starting to do. End the idea of spring training coming to close and sort of implying that the team might feel a little bit more of a "oh man spring training is finally over!" attitude rather than one that would better prepare them for the season to start.
I loved that answer and idea. He hit it.
He was asked about lineups and bullpens. He was strong on establishing roles for pitchers in the pen, players on the bench, and establishing a set lineup. There isn't a better answer than that. He wants players to know where they are in the lineup or if they are in the lineup on a daily basis and he almost sort of poked at Wedge's misuse of Jensen Lewis in a way. I don't know if he did this knowingly, but he said he thinks some of the relievers last year might have struggled due to being taken out of a position they were comfortable in.
That's Jensen Lewis being turned into a long reliever. Pretty much on point.
Alright sum it up for us Torey.
"I'm a manager that's been in the system for eight years," Lovullo said. "I'm somebody who has dreamed of this opportunity and has prepared for this opportunity. I want the fans of Cleveland to understand I'm ready for this opportunity should it arise."
That is a determined individual that is ready to go. Don't tell him the other candidates have major league experience. Don't tell him possibly three of the other candidates are former major league managers. Don't tell him he's an afterthought because he is looked at as another Eric Wedge.
He isn't Eric Wedge, he is Torey Lovullo and he's bringing something new to the table. Mark Shapiro is going to have to be really convinced to pick Lovullo because of the circumstances and if he does, he'd be making one hell of a move. But Lovullo gave him plenty of reason to do so.
If anything, if anything at all. PUT HIM ON THE STAFF! Not much left to prove in Triple-A. Whoever you hire, you tell them, this guy is going to be on the staff, because he has way too much promise to continue to be at Triple-A. He's going to be a major league manager someday and he would be an asset to us.
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