Here They All Come

Hey, there's no short list and no hurry for the Bucco FO to find JR's replacement, so we thought we'd compile a list of likely suspects.

Shakespeare said "What's past is prologue," so we'll start with the 2007 candidates for the job who eventually lost out to JR; maybe the second time's the charm:

Joey Cora, 45, is the Chicago White Sox bench coach and interviewed for the 2007 opening. He spent 2004-07 as the third base coach until Ozzie Guillen came along. Cora is said to be in line for the Seattle position.

John Farrell, 43, is the Boston Red Sox pitching coach who turned down a 2007 interview. He's a former MLB pitcher who served as farm director in Cleveland before moving to Boston in 2007. Farrell is in the running for openings at Toronto and Seattle

Dave Jauss, 53, is currently the Mets bench coach and was interviewed in 2007. He was the Dodger bench coach from 2006-07, and the O's bench coach from 2008-09.

Torey Lovullo, 45, is the manager of the Boston Red Sox's Pawtucket AAA club. He was considered in the running in 2007, but never interviewed. Lovullo managed eight years in the Cleveland system, the last four in AAA, and was a finalist for the Indian managing job, losing out to Manny Acta and moving on to the Bosox organization.

Joel Skinner, 49, a former Indians third-base coach, interviewed for the 2007 job. He managed on an interim basis in 2002, was in the mix for the job Eric Wedge won, and left the big league staff to manage the AA Akron Aeros in 2010. He's the son of ex-Bucco LF'er Bob Skinner.

If they're looking to make a splash, these guys are available:

Clint Hurdle, 53, is the Ranger's hitting coach. He was the manager of the Colorado Rockies from 2002 to May, 2009 and posted a 534-625 slate.

Bobby Valentine, 60, managed the Rangers and the Mets, compiling a 1,117-1,072 record in 15 years, and was a candidate for the Oriole and Marlin jobs this year. He may or may not still be in the running for the Fish position.

Tim Wallach, 53, was the hitting coach of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2004-06; then he became a minor league manager for the Blue. For the past two seasons, he's managed the AAA Albuquerque Isotopes and was named the PCL Manager of the Year this season. He was recently bypassed for the LA job by Don Mattingly.

Eric Wedge, 42, is the one-time Manager of the Year for the Indians, which he managed from 2003-06 with a 561-573 record and is considered the front-runner at this early stage of the game. He has already had interviews with the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays.

The list of old Bucs who may get some interest:

Dave Clark, 48, third-base coach of the Astros. He served on an interim basis briefly, and interviewed for the 'Stros head job in 2009.

Phil Garner, 61, has compiled a 985-1054 record in 15 years as skipper of the Brewers, Tigers and Astros. He's been out of pro ball since 2008, and isn't likely to be in the running.

Ken Macha, 60, the newly fired Brewer manager and former Oakland A's skipper is a Monroeville native, and interviewed for the Pirate job in 2005. He's a very long shot; he lobbied for the job in 2007 but was never given an interview.

Tony Pena, 53, managed the KC Royals from 2002-05, with one good year and one terrible one, and since has been on the Yankee staff as a first base coach and now bench coach. He interviewed for the job that eventually went to Joe Girardi. Pena is a candidate for the Marlin job.

Willie Randolph, 56, the former New York Mets manager, was traded by the Bucs as a rookie for Doc Medich. He was the Brewers' bench coach.

Ted Simmons, 61, is a former Buc GM and has a scouting and player development background. He's now the Padres' bench coach.

Dale Sveum, 47, was the third base coach for the Boston Red Sox from 2004-05. He left the Red Sox to rejoin the Brewers as the team's bench coach, later becoming the third base coach and was the hitting coach until yesterday. Sveum briefly served as the Brew Crew's interim manager in 2008.

Ron Wotus, 49, has a decade of experience as a minor league manager, winning the PCL Manager of the Year, and has been the bench coach of the Giants since 2000.

Our short list would be Cora, Farrell, Hurdle, Wedge, Sveum and Wotus. We'll see if Neal Huntington agrees; his job depends on making the right choice.