Atlanta minor league manager interviews for Indians job
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Posted 5:08PM on Friday, October 25, 2002
CLEVELAND, OHIO - Fredi Gonzalez said he doesn't feel like the dark horse candidate in the Indians' search for a manager. <br>
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Gonzalez, 37, who interviewed with the Indians on Friday, is the only candidate the club has interviewed from outside the organization. He was hired to manage Richmond, the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A club, in Dec. 2001 and has been named Baseball America's top manager in three different leagues. <br>
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``The only difference is I speak Spanish,'' Gonzalez said, smiling. ``If you look at all of our qualifications, we're pretty identical.'' <br>
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Joel Skinner, 41, who was the Indians' interim manager for the final 76 games this season after Charlie Manuel was fired, interviewed for the job Wednesday. Eric Wedge, 34, manager of Cleveland's Class Triple-A farm team in Buffalo for two years, interviewed Thursday. <br>
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The Indians want a manager in place within a week after the World Series ends this weekend. <br>
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Gonzalez, who has already interviewed for the manager's job with the Chicago Cubs, described himself as an energetic, aggressive manager who has a lot of patience with young players. <br>
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He's also excited about the possibility of taking over in Cleveland. <br>
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``I think it's a great organization,'' Gonzalez said. ``They've got a great core of veterans playing and a great group of young players.''