Good news for the Rangers, as the San Diego Padres have hired Bud Black as their new manager.
Black has been a very well regarded pitching coach for the Angels since the 2000 season, and his defection to manage his hometown Padres would appear to be another blow to a divisional rival.
This also makes it appear a lot more likely that Trey Hillman will be returning to Japan for the 2007 season. He's still a candidate for the Oakland A's job, of course, but Billy Beane has several other folks he's also looking at.