CLEVELAND — Sandy Alomar Jr. knows he has stiff competition to land the Indians’ manager job on a fulltime basis — and he only knows one other member of the field.
“I don’t have the resume that Terry has,” Alomar Jr. said of former Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who along with Alomar Jr., is expected to be interviewed for the job before the end of the week. “Obviously, that’s a slam dunk. Geez, I wish I had (that resume). As a player, maybe I did. He has an unbelievable resume. Obviously, anybody would want Terry Francona.
“I’m just going to go out there and just do what I feel I have to do and let the rest take care of itself. I mean, who wouldn’t want a guy like that? He has everything. He has championships, he’s a great guy, he’s a great communicator. He’s the perfect guy to have.”
Alomar Jr. has known Francona for a while, playing winter ball with him in Puerto Rico in 1988.
Francona has the clear edge in experience, managing Philadelphia from 1997-2000, then Boston from 2004-11, where he won World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. Alomar has never managed.
“I think they’re both tremendous candidates,” said Cleveland closer Chris Perez. “I only know Sandy as a coach, but he has respect all around the game. He’s interviewed for a couple spots already. I’m not saying he won’t be a great manager, you just don’t know yet, because he hasn’t done it. All indications are that he can be.
“On the other (side of the) coin, you’ve got Francona. He’s proven. He’s won two World Series. He’s handled the big media in Boston. He brings instant credibility as soon as he walks through that door. I think a lot of his winning attitudes and views can go along way, not only to what we do in the big leagues, but what we do down there in the minors, and I think that’s an area we need to get better in, developing our own talent.”
Alomar Jr., one of the most popular players in Indians history, is the people’s choice. But the fans aren’t doing the hiring.
“This is a business,” he said. “The organization has to make a huge decision. It’s not about who’s the most popular guy and that I played here. They still have to make a decision for the organization.
“I feel like I’m prepared for it, but at the end of the day, it’s still a big decision. I respect whatever they decide to do, whether it’s Terry or me or somebody else.”
The Indians are expected to interview more candidates once the regular season and the postseason are complete. A number of sources reported Tuesday that Francona is the frontrunner to get the job.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
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