Joey Cora, Bobby Valentine Among Possible Managerial Replacements In Seattle

The Mariners just fired manager Don Wakamatsu on Monday morning, and already Larry Stone comes up with his list of possibilities to take over later on. Among them:

--Bobby Valentine. He's got the most stature of all the guys sitting on the sidelines (and I don't count Tom Kelley, who has shown no inclination to return to managing), he played for the Mariners, he managed in Japan, and has seemed open in the past to the possibility of managing the Mariners.

--Joey Cora. He was a finalist when they hired Wakamatsu, a fan favorite from the golden era, and a nice pedigree as Ozzie Guillen's bench coach.

Also listed: Tony La Russa, Dusty Baker, Bryan Price, John Farrell, Rick Sweet, Wally Backman, and Willie Randolph. This is by no means a complete list, nor is it an official list of managerial candidates, but it's an interesting list to pick through nevertheless. The Mariners will allow interim manager Daren Brown to run the rest of the season, and come October, they will open the job up and begin the search for a more permanent replacement in earnest.