Don't count Mike Flanagan out of the running for Orioles general manager just yet.
Flanagan had a long meeting with club owner Peter Angelos and general counsel Russell Smouse yesterday, similar to the interviews the Orioles have conducted with the other candidates to replace vice president for baseball operations Syd Thrift.
Flanagan, Ron Schueler and Jim Beattie emerged as the front-runners for the position this weekend, and yesterday a high-ranking Orioles official called it a dead heat.
On a day the Boston Red Sox completed a long general manager search by picking a familiar face, 28-year-old Theo Epstein, the Orioles took a closer look at their in-house favorite.
Flanagan, who interviewed for a front-office position with the Red Sox last month, spent about six hours at Angelos' downtown law office. Angelos and Flanagan have frequent conversations, but until yesterday, they hadn't sat down for something this close to a formal interview.
"It was as thorough as the Boston interview," Flanagan said. "It was extensive, in-depth, about a wide range of topics from the winter leagues to free agency. It was kind of nice getting on the record with my thoughts. I know they know me, but it gave me a chance, in an equal forum, to let them know some things they maybe didn't know."
Boston's decision could have a ripple effect on the Orioles because in an attempt to surround the unproven Epstein with experience, the Red Sox have offered Schueler a special assistant's position and might offer Beattie a job as vice president of scouting and player development.
Schueler and Beattie interviewed with the Red Sox this fall. As of yesterday, there was no word from the Orioles that this will speed up their process. They might ask Beattie and Schueler to return for second interviews, pushing the final decision into next week.
Speculation around the team still has Angelos leaning toward hiring a two-man team of Flanagan and either Schueler or Beattie to run the baseball operations department. Such a move would give Flanagan a major influence on the team and still allow for the experience that Schueler and Beattie - both former GMs - provide.
Flanagan, who turns 51 next month, has never had an official front-office position, but Angelos has relied on him as a consultant over the past seven years. Flanagan was the team's pitching coach in 1995 and 1998 and has spent six of the past seven years as a television commentator.
One scenario has Flanagan inheriting Thrift's title as vice president for baseball operations, with Schueler or Beattie becoming the new general manager. As for who would rank above whom, it's still uncertain, but Flanagan is said to have no concerns about titles or rank.
Schueler was still waiting to hear from the Orioles yesterday, and Beattie did not return calls to The Sun. Both impressed Angelos during their interviews two weeks ago.
Beattie, 48, spent six years as the Seattle Mariners' farm director before becoming GM of the Montreal Expos in 1995. He resigned from that post last year and then rejoined the Expos as a special assistant.
Schueler, 54, was the Chicago White Sox's GM from 1990 to 2000, and in that time the White Sox had the fourth-best record in baseball (817-734) behind the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians. He moved into a scouting role after the 2000 season and then resigned from the White Sox in September to pursue other opportunities.
Thrift hired Schueler as his pitching coach when he was GM of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1986, and they have remained close.
"I wanted to go somewhere where somebody wants to win, and I didn't want to go through a big rebuilding project," Schueler said. "Syd's done that there [with the Orioles]. He's done a good job there getting some young players. Last year, they were an awfully good team for five months. If they can do it for five months, I see no reason they can't do that for a full season."