Yesterday was a godsend in Reds Managerial Rumor-mongering, thanks to an online frenzy of tweets and conflicting reports. As we relayed last night, Paul O'Neill expressed interest in the Reds opening, and the Reds supposedly talked back.
Honest, this is what happened. It says "breaking news" right there in the tweet.
Unless, of course, it didn't.
Well maybe it did, sort of.
We live for this sort of thing, but in the end, it's all a bit confusing. Our suspicion on the #OHSportsBuzz is that O'Neill would say "sure, let's talk" if the Reds had an interest in him. Which doesn't seem to be a burning thing on their part. But you never know. Breaking news.
Most importantly, it gives us Name Number 14 for our updated Reds managerial watch list. For easy sorting, we've broken these names down to three simple categories: Confirmed Candidates, Floated by Writers or Themselves and Out of the Running. Full updated list after the jump.
CONFIRMED CANDIDATES
BRYAN PRICE: Current pitching coach, has reportedly been contacted about the job. John Fay considers him the frontrunner if the Reds look internally. Price says that he's interested in the job, and would probably get interest from other teams if the Reds pass.
JIM RIGGLEMAN: Manager at Triple-A Louisville and one-time Washington Nationals manager, is reportedly a confirmed candidate for the job but has not been contacted as of 10/8.
NAMES FLOATED BY WRITERS OR THEMSELVES
WALLY BACKMAN: Floated by John Erardi of Cincinnati.com as a potential Lou Piniella-type who has "attitude and confidence" and "something to prove".
DAVID BELL: Former manager of the Louisville Bats, who is now under contract as the third-base coach of the Cubs (although that may not last). Floated by a number of writers.
BILLY HATCHER: An an internal candidate who has not yet been contacted by the team.
DAVEY JOHNSON: Floated by Hal McCoy, Johnson is fresh off the bench in Washington, and had the honor of being fired by Marge Schott despite good performance by the Reds under his leadership.
BARRY LARKIN: Floated by just about every Reds writer, Larkin is considered considered unlikely to leave his current role. As of 10/8, Larkin had not reached out to the Reds, and already has a nice gig as a TV analyst. AS of 10/10, the Reds the Reds hadn't reached out to him. Still, the Reds might not be the only team interested, as his name has also been associated with the Washington Nationals. And here's some more speculation about Larkin from the NY Daily News.
JOE MORGAN: Floated by Paul Daughtery, but considered unlikely to leave his current role.
PAUL O'NEILL: Talked to the Reds about the job opening. Unless, of course, it didn't. Well, maybe he did, sort of.
EDUARDO PEREZ: Floated by The Houston Chronicle, Perez is a young coach currently working for an abysmal Houston Astros franchise. He brings Cincinnati connections, and a high level of regard within MLB circles.
SCOTT ROLEN: Floated by Paul Daughtery, Rolen is already on the Reds payroll, but considered an unlikely candidatae.
CHRIS SPIER: Floated by Paul Daughtery, Spier is an internal candidate who has not yet been contacted by the team. Daughtery calls him his "dark horse candidate".
RICK SWEET: Floated by Hal McCoy, Sweet has experience with a number of the current Reds due to his serving as manager at Louisville.
OUT OF THE RUNNING
TONY LARUSSA: Per the Chicago Tribune, he's not interested in the gig, despite his past history with Walt Jocketty.
