Some Experience Required ... This Time

Dodger owner Frank McCourt embarked Saturday on another search for the head of his baseball operations, the conclusion of which will yield his third general manager in a little more than 20 months.

Paul DePodesta, the Billy Beane disciple who replaced Dan Evans in February 2004, was fired, leaving the organization without a general manager in the first days of what is expected to be a rigorous off-season, and with a little more than a week remaining before the annual GM meetings.

Now McCourt will hire for an office once held by Branch Rickey and Al Campanis, and also by Kevin Malone, in yet another do-over in his thus-far clumsy stewardship.

In the hours after McCourt announced in Dodger Stadium’s Dugout Club that he had fired DePodesta, several potential general manager candidates professed their interest in the opening, among them Pat Gillick, Jim Bowden and Mark Newman.

Gillick is the former Toronto Blue Jay, Baltimore Oriole and Seattle Mariner general manager currently serving as an advisor for the Mariners. Bowden, the Washington National general manager, was previously the general manager in Cincinnati. Newman is the senior vice president of baseball operations for the New York Yankees.

McCourt said he would conduct the search personally, with help from special advisor Tommy Lasorda and, presumably, his wife, club President Jamie McCourt.

As of Saturday night, McCourt had not requested permission from any of the clubs to contact those potential candidates, but said he would seek a general manager before hiring a manager, even referring to DePodesta’s list of three managerial finalists -- Terry Collins, Alan Trammell and Orel Hershiser -- as “so-called finalists,� reflecting a change there as well.

“I’m not going to commit to any specific time frame,� he said. “I am going to commit to get the best GM for the Dodgers, and I will also commit to do it with dispatch.... I’m going to be very aggressive in this search. I’m very mindful of the importance of the off-season, and I need to make some decisions there as well, so we’ll move as aggressively as is prudent.�

As he begins the process of restructuring his front office, McCourt will have his pick of styles and philosophies. He could be competing with the Philadelphia Phillies, who have interviewed Gillick and another potential Dodger candidate, former Houston Astro General Manager Gerry Hunsicker, and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, who also are said to be considering Hunsicker, among others, for a general manager-type job. The Boston Red Sox are expected to re-sign Theo Epstein in the coming days.

None expressed hesitance about working for McCourt, whose apparent impatience has led to substantial turnover within the organization.

Having grown dissatisfied with DePodesta in less than two years, McCourt seems intent on hiring a veteran baseball hand with a verifiable track record and a commanding presence to coordinate the scouting and development departments and manage the 40-man roster.

In February 2004, McCourt interviewed Gillick, who had constructed World Series champions in Toronto and contenders in Seattle and Baltimore, and instead chose the bright, young DePodesta. It appears that path has led him back to baseball’s old guard, men such as Gillick, Hunsicker, former Cleveland Indian and Texas Ranger General Manager John Hart and, perhaps, former Colorado Rocky General Manager Bob Gebhard, who value scouting and development above all else.

Among others who could be considered to replace DePodesta: Kevin Towers, the San Diego Padre general manager who recently interviewed for the Arizona job; Kim Ng, DePodesta’s assistant general manager who also has held key positions with the Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees; Hershiser, who has little front-office experience but impressed McCourt in interviews last week; and two who interviewed with McCourt to replace Evans -- Dennis Gilbert, an advisor to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, and Ruben Amaro Jr., an assistant general manager in Philadelphia.

“I think that leadership is a very important characteristic,� McCourt said. “The GM has to have a keen eye for baseball talent. I want a good communicator, and someone with the experience to do the job.

“What I mean by experience is, they’ll have to convince me and the others involved in the interview process that they have the experience and qualifications to do the job of a general manager.�

McCourt said it was “not necessarily� a prerequisite that candidates had served as major league general managers, a gap, perhaps, intended for Hershiser. He would not comment on potential in-house candidates, such as Ng. Major League Baseball has never had a woman GM.

“We’re just beginning the search,� he said, “and we’ve made no decisions about who will or will not be on the list.�

One scenario being considered by McCourt, according to a baseball executive familiar with the situation, has Gillick becoming the general manager, Hershiser his assistant and Bobby Valentine the manager.

It is the beginnings of a strategy in which McCourt hopes to bring back former Dodgers for key positions, a policy supported by Lasorda.

The same baseball executive said DePodesta spoke to Valentine, manager of the Japanese League champion Chiba Lotte Marines, for several hours two weeks ago and that DePodesta took several pages of notes during the interview. Valentine recently led the Marines to the Japan Series championship and is expected to be offered a rich contract extension.

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The field

Likely candidates for the Dodger general manager position:

*--* * Pat Gillick -- Special consultant with Mariners, as GM won two World Series titles with Blue Jays. * Gerry Hunsicker -- Architect of current Astros, resigned after last season, reportedly over differences with owner Drayton McLane. * John Hart -- Built the strong Indian teams of the 1990s, unable to turn around the Rangers. * Kevin Towers -- Personable GM of the Padres, recently interviewed with Diamondbacks for their opening. * Bob Gebhard -- First GM of the Rockies, was interim GM of the Diamondbacks until this week. * Mark Newman -- Senior VP, baseball operations for the Yankees, is a particularly strong talent evaluator. * Jim Bowden -- Has handled trouble spots in Cincinnati and Washington. * Orel Hershiser -- No experience as a GM or manager, but intelligent. A more likely assistant GM. * Kim Ng -- Many believe she is ready to become the first female GM in baseball. * Dennis Gilbert -- Former agent and current advisor to White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. * Steve Phillips -- Former Met GM, emphasis on player development, currently an ESPN analyst. * Joe Garagiola Jr. -- Former GM of Diamondbacks, recently employed by MLB. * Mike Port -- Veteran baseball man, former Angel GM, working for MLB.

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-- TIM BROWN