Who will be the Devil Rays manager in 2006?

Who can/should be the new Devil Rays manager next year, assuming Lou is
gone? My short list would include:

1) Don Zimmer
2) Wade Boggs
3) Bill Evers

Don Zimmer - Currently holds the position of senior baseball advisor
with the Devil Rays, and has been rumoured to be a possible interim
manager. He previously managed the Red Sox, Rangers and Cubs,
accumulating a 790-754 record as a major league manager. He is
familiar with the organization, and hiring him as manager would
probably mean the team would keep most of the existing coaching staff
who are currently under contract, thereby saving money. Knowing the
Devil Rays reluctance to let go of a dollar, that probably makes him
the front runner. However, what exactly does a senior baseball advisor
do. And at 75 years old, is he up to the task?

Wade Boggs - A home town hero and famous name who would likely attract
a few extra fans to the ball park. He certainly has a tremendous
knowledge of the game and a lot of drive, but no experience managing a
team. Hiring him would be a gamble, but let's face it, the team is in
last place. How much worse can they get? The other question is
whether Boggs would be interested in the position. After being retired
as a player for five years he may be getting the itch to get back on
the field, or he may decide that, since he got his hair transplant, he
no longer has a need to wear a baseball cap.

Bill Evers - Currently the manager for the Ray's AAA Durham Bulls
affiliate. He's been their manager for eight years, and has led the
Bulls to a playoff berth in six of those years. He has a 548-454
record with the Bulls, including back-to-back championships (2003-04).
He also previously coached the Devil Rays single-A affiliate in St.
Petersburg in 1997, leading them to the best record in the Florida
State League (81-56) and a league championship. He also managed the
Rays' Gulf Coast League (instructional league) entry in 1996, and was
the manager for the first game ever played by a team in the Devil Rays
organization.

Bill Evers is my choice for the next Devil Rays manager. Promoting
from within is always good for company morale. Besides, he is a proven
winner at the minor league level. Let's see what he can do in the
majors.

Wade Boggs and the Devil Rays organization don't get along since LaMar
forced Boggs to retire.

Zimmer would sooner be a sideshow freak than manager of the Rays....
He'd be compared directly to Lou and he'd ramble on about past teams
he's coached and how the Yankees this and that...

Evers is over due to coach in the majors and that's why he'll be passed
on - because clubs tend to do that when they have Major League managers
in the minors. Sad.

StevenA wrote:
> Who can/should be the new Devil Rays manager next year, assuming Lou is
> gone? My short list would include:
>
> 1) Don Zimmer
> 2) Wade Boggs
> 3) Bill Evers
>
> Don Zimmer - Currently holds the position of senior baseball advisor
> with the Devil Rays, and has been rumoured to be a possible interim
> manager. He previously managed the Red Sox, Rangers and Cubs,
> accumulating a 790-754 record as a major league manager. He is
> familiar with the organization, and hiring him as manager would
> probably mean the team would keep most of the existing coaching staff
> who are currently under contract, thereby saving money. Knowing the
> Devil Rays reluctance to let go of a dollar, that probably makes him
> the front runner. However, what exactly does a senior baseball advisor
> do. And at 75 years old, is he up to the task?
>
> Wade Boggs - A home town hero and famous name who would likely attract
> a few extra fans to the ball park. He certainly has a tremendous
> knowledge of the game and a lot of drive, but no experience managing a
> team. Hiring him would be a gamble, but let's face it, the team is in
> last place. How much worse can they get? The other question is
> whether Boggs would be interested in the position. After being retired
> as a player for five years he may be getting the itch to get back on
> the field, or he may decide that, since he got his hair transplant, he
> no longer has a need to wear a baseball cap.
>
> Bill Evers - Currently the manager for the Ray's AAA Durham Bulls
> affiliate. He's been their manager for eight years, and has led the
> Bulls to a playoff berth in six of those years. He has a 548-454
> record with the Bulls, including back-to-back championships (2003-04).
> He also previously coached the Devil Rays single-A affiliate in St.
> Petersburg in 1997, leading them to the best record in the Florida
> State League (81-56) and a league championship. He also managed the
> Rays' Gulf Coast League (instructional league) entry in 1996, and was
> the manager for the first game ever played by a team in the Devil Rays
> organization.
>
> Bill Evers is my choice for the next Devil Rays manager. Promoting
> from within is always good for company morale. Besides, he is a proven
> winner at the minor league level. Let's see what he can do in the
> majors.
>