Apparently, John Hart has spoken with Frank McCourt about the Dodgers' g.m. job, and an interview has been scheduled:
Dodger owner Frank McCourt spoke by telephone Thursday with John Hart, a candidate to become general manager of the team, and they have scheduled a formal interview for the coming days.
Kim Ng, the assistant general manager under Paul DePodesta and his predecessor, Dan Evans, also will interview with McCourt, probably before the start of the GM meetings next week in Palm Springs.
It is believed that no woman has interviewed for a GM job.
Hart, the former general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, was not believed to be in Los Angeles on Thursday. McCourt requested and received permission from the Rangers to contact Hart, who resigned as the Rangers' general manager in early October to become a consultant to owner Tom Hicks.
At the time, Hicks said that he had not asked Hart to step down and, indeed, the team suggested Hart had retired. The Rangers had just concluded their third losing season in four years, all in Hart's tenure.
Less than a month later, Hart said he would be interested in becoming the Dodger general manager, and now will meet with McCourt to discuss it.
One baseball executive with knowledge of the situation said Hart was "a serious candidate" for the Dodger job.
Seriously, if Hart ends up with the Dodgers, I'd love to see how Tom Hicks & Co. with the Rangers spin this whole deal (assuming someone in the DFW media asks them about it).
How is it that, just a year ago Grady Fuson had to be forced out, and John Hart signed to a big extension, because it was so critical that Hart remain on as g.m.;
Then, at the end of the disappointing 2005 season, Hart resigns, supposedly of his own volition, because of...well, it wasn't entirely clear, except he didn't want to be the g.m. anymore;
And now, after playing footsie with the D-Rays, he's apparently a serious candidate to take over the Dodger organization...where Orel Hershiser would likely join him as his assistant g.m.
Hey, maybe it is just me...but this whole front office fiasco, dating back to Buck's power play with Fuson last summer, seems to make this organization look like the Keystone Kops. The guy who Hicks & Co. apparently begged to stay on last summer is now going to be allowed to leave, if he so chooses, and take one of the guys who was supposedly so critical to the Rangers' success with him.