Dodgers Stand in a Long Line for Executives

BOSTON â€”  As Bob Graziano conducts the interviews and prepares to select a new general manager in conjunction with Fox, the Dodgers will not be alone. Either through retirements, firings or defections, another eight or more major league clubs could soon be in the market for an executive.

Among them: Baltimore, Kansas City, Minnesota and Seattle in the American League, and Cincinnati, Colorado, Florida and Montreal in the National.

It’s a potentially tangled web, too complex to chronicle succinctly.

As it affects the Dodgers:

--Florida’s Dave Dombrowski, who is high on the Dodger wish list, might prefer Colorado, if Bob Gebhard is fired there.

--Dombrowski aide Gary Hughes, also a Dodger candidate who would otherwise be expected to accompany his friend to Los Angeles if Dombrowski gets the Dodger job, is certain to first take a crack at other GM openings, including that of the Marlins.

--Kevin Malone, the Baltimore assistant and a candidate in Los Angeles, might opt to stay, taking his chances on replacing Oriole GM Pat Gillick, who is expected to retire--unless he un-retires in Seattle or Colorado.

“I believe that over the past two weeks or so I’ve seen some strong indications that the possibility of me staying here are very real,� Malone said in Baltimore, referring to Gillick’s anticipated departure.

“I believe I’ve got a good chance to be the general manager here or through other opportunities [in baseball].�

That’s the only certainty. Even the most contractually secure among general managers might not be that secure.

Randy Smith, slowly and steadily rebuilding the Detroit Tigers in his 2 1/2 years on the job, saw comments from owner Mike Ilitch this week that cast doubt on the three years left on his contract.

Ilitch, in an interview with the Detroit Free-Press, said he plans to ride out the Tigers’ rough periods as the club moves toward a new stadium.

Will Smith and Manager Buddy Bell be riding with him?

“Who I’m going to ride the horse with, I don’t know,� Ilitch said.

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Cincinnati Reds’ second baseman Bret Boone made only three errors last season, setting a fielding percentage record for his position. Boone’s glove went to Cooperstown, but he did not receive the Gold Glove.

NL managers and coaches voted it to Houston’s Craig Biggio, apparently swayed by his offensive statistics, which should not be a factor.

Boone has made only five errors this season and will lead NL second baseman in fielding percentage for a fourth consecutive time, which has never been done.

“The plays he has made to save runs and the double plays he has turned makes him the best,� Manager Jack McKeon said. “And he takes more chances than most second basemen. That makes him susceptible to errors, but he still doesn’t make them. All the managers tell me he’s the best, then they vote for Biggio. It’s hard to understand.’

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A combination of fatigue from the longest season in his two-year professional career and a groin injury that put him on the disabled list have left Travis Lee in a statistical free fall. The Arizona Diamondback first baseman, once thought to have a lock on rookie of the year, has been passed statistically by Colorado first baseman Todd Helton. But the award probably will go to Chicago’s Kerry Wood, who would owe large thanks to Sammy Sosa, who has hit 15 homers in his 25 starts.