I'm less exorcised over the situation of Padres manager Bruce Bochy than others. While some columnists think that Bochy would be crazy to turn down a multi-year deal from the Giants -- or another team -- I find it hard to believe that he would want to leave. He has a good living situation, a friend as his general manager and an extraordinarily long tenure. Not to mention a team that has the building blocks in place to be a winner for the next several years.
That said, club CEO Sandy Alderson appears to be playing a well-calculated game of poker. He's made the public statement that he wants Bochy to have a chance to test the waters so he when he decides to remain, he'll do so with renewed commitment. Behind his willingness to allow Bochy some slack, Alderson knows his manager is likely to stay put. He also knows that he's in a good position in case a new manager is needed. He can hire from within (Tony Muser) or bring in a wise old veteran (Dusty Baker).
Whatever happens, we should know within a week or, at the most, 10 days, who will manage the Friars in 2007.
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