Originally published October 23, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified October 23, 2007 at 4:35 PM
McLaren picks a veteran staff
The Mariners officially unveiled four of their five new coaches Monday, and manager John McLaren expressed confidence that Larry Bowa will...
Seattle Times staff reporters
The Mariners officially unveiled four of their five new coaches Monday, and manager John McLaren expressed confidence that Larry Bowa will soon be added as third-base coach.
If and when that happens -- Bowa has a personal matter to resolve -- McLaren's first hand-picked staff will be long on experience.
It also will include coaches with whom McLaren has long personal associations, something lacking with the staff he inherited from Mike Hargrove.
"They're all winners," McLaren said in a conference call. "I've known them all a long time, some better than others. As we went through the process, these guys stuck out. I think we have one of the best coaching staffs in baseball."
Bowa, 61, and Jim Riggleman, 54, the new bench coach, each have managed two different major-league teams.
New pitching coach Mel Stottlemyre, 65, had a long and decorated tenure on Joe Torre's Yankees staff (1996-2005) and also served as pitching coach for the Mets and Astros.
Eddie Rodriguez, 48, the first-base coach, has had nine seasons on major-league staffs, including Toronto, Arizona and Washington. He managed the Mariners' Class AA West Tennessee team last year.
This will be the first major-league coaching job for bullpen coach Norm Charlton, 44, who became close with McLaren during three stints in the Mariners bullpen. Charlton spent the past four years as a special-assignment coach for Seattle, and had scouting duties.
The lone holdover from Hargrove's staff is hitting coach Jeff Pentland, another veteran.
McLaren said experience wasn't the sole criterion upon which he based his decisions.
"I wanted coaches who would put the Mariners in the best position to win next year," he said. "I passed up good names. I passed up some good friends, too."
McLaren said he hopes to get a final decision by the end of the week from Bowa, who was Torre's third-base coach the past two years.
![]()
Asked if he had a backup plan if Bowa pulled out, McLaren said, "We have some thoughts, but I feel very positive Larry's situation will work itself out."
Bowa, however, said Monday he has yet to decide whether to accept the offer and doesn't know when he will.
"I've got other things I'm dealing with right now," Bowa said, not going into specifics.
Riggleman, most recently St. Louis' minor-league field coordinator, already had a dry run at the bench-coach job. He and McLaren spent many mornings in recent years at Riggleman's condominium in the Tampa, Fla., area talking baseball over breakfast. The conversations took place mostly when McLaren was working for the Devil Rays as a bench coach under Lou Piniella.
"We used to get together quite a bit," Riggleman said in a phone interview. "We'd sit around talking baseball for hours. So, we have a pretty good relationship with each other already."
Riggleman said he's looking forward to reuniting with Pentland -- who worked on his Chicago Cubs staff in 1999 when Riggleman managed that team.
"He was a great coach then and he still is," he said. "Obviously, I'm looking forward to coaching with him again."
Stottlemyre battled cancer during his time with the Yankees, but McLaren said he has a clean bill of health. Stottlemyre stepped down as the Yankees' coach after the 2005 season, and this year worked as a spring-training instructor for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity," said Stottlemyre, who grew up in Mabton and lives in Issaquah. "Players and coaches that have been in the game a long period of time understand, the opportunity to live at home and work in baseball doesn't happen often. When it does, it's something very special."
Asked about the staff he inherits, Stottlemyre said, "I'm going to talk to McLaren in the morning. I'm anxious to see what changes they have in mind."
He said he feels great.
"That maybe was a question mark for some people, but I feel I can do a job every day. I'm been told by my doctor here there are no limitations, nothing I have to be careful of, any more than a normal 65-year-old."
Larry Stone: 206-464-3146 or lstone@seattletimes.com;
Geoff Baker: 206-464-8286 or gbaker@seattletimes.com
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Mariners to try Dustin Ackley at second base
Vizquel close to signing contract with White Sox
Tracy, Scioscia win Manager of the Year awards
Former Mariners manager John McLaren is glad to be back in the dugout
Scioscia, Tracy named managers of the year

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Real Salt Lake defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy with penalty kicks after 120 minutes of play at Qwest Field in Seattle.
nwautos
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment
nwjobs
Post a comment
Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
Do you suffer from "sitting disease"?
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Tugboat sinks at Seattle waterfront pier
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Woman stabbed by stranger in North Seattle
- Snow piles up on Cascade slopes
- Denny Triangle gains skyline, but tenants slow to come
- Illegal workers quietly let go
357 - Climate change speeds up since 1997 Kyoto accord
206 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
170 - Metro won't cut bus service after all
147 - Historic health care bill clears Senate hurdle
94 - New Husky recruit: Enes Kanter
90 - Tattoos at Mill Creek Church pierce skin, soul
82 - Middleton says Huskies "plan on scoring at least 50 points'' Saturday
76 - Jerry Brewer: Seahawks can't lean on the Hutch Crutch now
73 - UW, WSU once again meet to see who's worse
66
- Sprouts, raw fish on attorney's 'do not eat' list
- Tattoos at Mill Creek church pierce skin, soul
- Illegal workers quietly let go
- Food-safety lawyer's wish: Put me out of business
- Architects, chefs find 'kid' within to build Gingerbread Village
- Rediscovering Moab, 'the most beautiful place on Earth'
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Taste | The Great Pie Bake-off pits friends and fruit













