Nov 15
As soon as the season ended and managerial openings started to spring up, we heard that Joe Maddon’s right-hand man, Dave Martinez, would be a popular candidate and could land his own managerial position. But now it looks like Martinez never had a shot.
With the Cardinals settling on Mike Matheny, and the Cubs and Red Sox narrowing their choices, Martinez has not even interviewed for any of the managerial openings and now it looks like he will indeed be back with the Rays in 2012.
According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, Martinez’ lack of opportunities is a big surprise in baseball circles…
Some are surprised that Martinez has not been interviewed for any of the three managerial openings after a lot of hype that he could be a top choice given his association with Joe Maddon. Maddon is one of those puzzled by this turn of events. If it’s lack of experience, well, the Red Sox just interviewed Sandy Alomar Jr., who has no managerial experience.
On the one hand we are Read the rest of this entry »
Nov 03
Thanks to the recent success of the Tampa Bay Rays and their manager Joe Maddon, bench coach Dave Martinez is often mentioned as a possibility to fill managerial openings. But the first team to come calling this winter is the Boston Red Sox.
According to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald, new GM Ben Cherrington called the Rays and asked for permission to interview Martinez to replace Terry Francona as Red Sox manager. However, Lauber says the Red Sox have not yet been allowed to speak with Martinez.
Since Martinez is still under contract with the Rays, the Red Sox would need permission to conduct an interview.
Joe Maddon has been adamant that Martinez is deserving of a managerial job. But we can imagine that the front office is not anxious to let one of their own go work for a divisional rival and take a lot of team secrets with him. On the flip side, the Rays risk having an upset bench coach on their hands if permission is not granted.
It will be interesting to see if the Rays block Martinez from interviewing with the Red Sox.
Nov 01
Joe Maddon’s name is starting to gain some steam as a candidate to replace Tony LaRussa as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals. Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch calls Maddon a “popular candidate.”
Neither DeWitt nor Mozeliak ruled out the possibility of approaching another organization about its manager. Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon, whose contract with the club expires after next season, represents a popular candidate.
Maddon is a self-proclaimed life-long Cardinals fan. And he would seem like one manager with the personality that would not be afraid to replace a legend. Maddon also knows the Rays have a suitable replacement already on board, in Dave Martinez. So Maddon would be leaving the team in good hands, and at the same time giving Martinez an opportunity Maddon strongly believes in.
But at the same time, Maddon does not seem like the sort to run to a job just because he grew up a fan of that team. And of course, this all comes just days after Maddon said, “I am a Ray and I want to be a Ray,” as he declared his love for the organization.
But if Maddon is going to leave the Rays, the Cardinals, along with the Angels, would seem like the two jobs that would pique his interest. And the Angels job is not coming open anytime soon.
Oct 27
WEEI in Boston recently spoke with Joe Maddon and asked him about the possibility of managing the Boston Red Sox…
“Honestly, I love where I work and who I work with…But right now, at this point in my life, there’s no other place I would rather be than the Tampa Bay Rays. I mean that sincerely. Ownership. Front office. Players. Coaching staff. I cannot ask for a better situation. There isn’t a better situation. And it isn’t always about money. For me it isn’t always about money. I really am humbled by that thought, but at the end of the day I am a Ray and I want to be a Ray.”
Maddon followed that up with a glowing recommendation of Dave Martinez. However, as far as Maddon is aware, the Red Sox have yet to call the Rays and ask for permission to interview Martinez.
Oct 07
- Off-Season (click image for random Wikipedia page)
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
The White Sox hired Robin Ventura to be their new manager. This is significant because Dave Martinez was considered a top candidate, if not the top candidate. But it turns out Martinez never even spoke with the White Sox. He may still be a candidate for the Red Sox job, although it is not clear yet if he will even be asked to interview.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon met with the media yesterday and spoke about the 2011 and 2012 seasons. JB Long has a solid roundup of their thoughts. [BayNews9]
- And you can see the entire press conference here. [The Heater]
- Andrew Friedman had little to say about his rumored links to the Cubs and Astros general manager jobs. [TampaBay.com]
- Andrew Friedman and Joe Maddon sound like Matt Moore will at least have a shot at making the rotation next spring. [TBO.com]
- John Romano says Stuart Sternberg may be the Bay Area’s best friend right now, but his patience is growing thin. [TampaBay.com]
- My new friend Maury Brown appeared on “The King David Show” yesterday to discuss his piece on Rays attendance. You can listen to that discussion here. [TheKingDavidShow.com]
- A little late, but Evan Longoria topped ESPN.com’s all-sport power rankings earlier this week. [ESPN]
Oct 04
We have heard all summer about how both the Cubs and the Astros may want Andrew Friedman to be their next general manager. But what if the Cubs go after, and land Theo Epstein? Would the Red Sox then set their sights on Friedman?
Gordon Edes of ESPN.com thinks it is possible…
What would the Red Sox do if Epstein left?…The Red Sox could take another run at Oakland Athletics president Billy Beane, whom they hired once only to have him turn down the job hours later, a sequence that led to Epstein’s hiring. Or they could see if someone like Tampa Bay’s Andrew Friedman has grown weary of competing with the big-money teams in the AL East and becomes available. But [Epstein's top assistant Ben] Cherington would offer a degree of continuity that might prove decisive if Epstein leaves.
What is interesting with the Red Sox situation is that some believe Joe Maddon’s bench coach, Dave Martinez, is a candidate for the vacant managerial position. Could the Red Sox try to steal both from the Rays with both going north as part of a package deal?
Of course, this all seems like a long-shot at best. But it also shows the level of interest and respect Friedman has in the baseball community. Eventually somebody is going to offer Friedman a big payday that will test his loyalties. Let’s hope it is not enough.
Oct 03
Dave Martinez still has work to do with the Rays in the playoffs. But these may also be Martinez’ last games in a Rays uniform.
According to Rays consigliere Ken Rosenthal, Martinez is at the top of the wishlist in Chicago to be the White Sox new manager.
General manager Ken Williams continues to work off his short list, the source said. Rays bench coach Dave Martinez, according to a second source, is at the top of that list. Martinez, a former outfielder, played for the White Sox from 1995 to ’97.
In addition to playing for both the White Sox and Cubs, Martinez’ wife is from Chicago and one of his children plays soccer at Northwestern.
When asked if he was Read the rest of this entry »
Jul 15
- Dave Martinez (via Marc Topkin)
The GBT – The Good, The Bad and The Telling sandwich, where The Bad is nice and lean and the The Telling is ripe.
No GBT today.
THE JUNKYARD DOGS WEBTOPIA…
- Troy Renck: “Rockies have always liked James Shields…could make a run at him regardless of where they are in the standings.” [Twitter]
- The Rays and Cardinals had “serious talks” about Colby Rasmus last year. [MLBTR]
- The Rays will open the second-half with Read the rest of this entry »
May 20
Dave Martinez has a beard. A man’s beard. Johnny Damon has caveman scruff. Reid Brignac has some hip-hop wannabe chinstrap “beard.” So what is going on when Dave leans in to whisper into Damon’s ear?
So have at it amateur caption writers. What is going on in this picture…
