ALOU STAYS PUT : Starting Over

The Dodgers thought they had a new manager.

So did Felipe Alou.

They both were wrong.

The Dodgers were thwarted in their efforts to hire Alou when the Montreal Expos signed the respected manager to a multiyear contract extension Sunday--placing Alou among the game’s highest-paid field leaders.

The Expos overwhelmed their longtime employee with a lucrative eleventh-hour financial offer Saturday night, pleas from Canadian officials and promises to significantly increase the club’s payroll, among the lowest in the major leagues. Moreover, high-ranking members of the Expo ownership consortium convinced Alou that his presence would favorably influence the government to fund a proposed new ballpark.

That, combined with his family’s wishes, proved too much for Alou to ignore, causing him to ultimately decline the Dodger offer he acknowledged he accepted in principle. And it left the Dodgers to start over again.

“I have to be honest about this: I was on my way to Los Angeles,” Alou said during a conference call with reporters. “I accepted a plane ticket to go to Los Angeles [Sunday] to have a press conference Monday. I have to admit that. I thought I was gone.”

So did the Dodgers.

“Felipe was very interested in managing the Dodgers, but there was an unbelievable amount of pressure, so many factors, that made it almost impossible for him to leave Montreal,” Dodger General Manager Kevin Malone said. “I’m disappointed because Felipe turned down a great opportunity, but I understand why Felipe made the decision that he did.

“But throughout the process, I was always aware that it would be difficult for Felipe to leave Montreal, and I had other plans in place. We’re going to move on and continue the process to find the next manager of the Dodgers--and we’re going to get a great manager.”

But the process isn’t expected to continue moving quickly. The Dodgers were twice rebuffed in their attempts to hire Jim Leyland, who recently accepted the Colorado Rockies’ position, and they failed to lure Alou to Chavez Ravine after courting him.

Malone is now targeting Davey Johnson and Kevin Kennedy--in that order. Johnson, who is out of baseball, managed the Baltimore Orioles for two seasons while Malone was their assistant general manager. Kennedy, a baseball analyst for ESPN, worked with Malone in Montreal, managed the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers, and managed in the Dodger farm system.

Both would accept the job if offered. Malone acknowledged that they are on his “short list,” but cautioned not to expect an announcement soon.

“It’s fair to say that they [Johnson and Kennedy] are among the candidates, but I’m looking in other directions as well,” he said. “I might ask for permission to speak with people under contract, and there are still options open to us.

“But the process isn’t going to move as fast. We were on a quick pace before because the individuals involved were in high demand.”

Like Alou and Leyland, Johnson is considered among the best managers of this era. He guided the New York Mets to the 1986 World Series championship, and his teams won five division titles, and finished second five times.

Because of clashes with owner Peter Angelos, Johnson walked away from the Orioles after guiding them to the 1997 American League East title. He was selected the AL manager of the year that season.

Johnson has had discussions with the Detroit Tigers about becoming their new manager. Contacted Sunday at his home in Winter Park, Fla., Johnson said he is eager to speak with Malone.

“I look at the Dodger job as kind of a dream job,” Johnson said. “The Dodgers have always had one of the best organizations in baseball, and now they have Fox behind them. With all the resources and talent they have there, they could hire the ‘village idiot’ and win.

“The only thing about managing in places like L.A. and New York is that you have to win in those markets. That sounds pretty easy to understand, but it’s a lot more difficult than you would think, if you’ve never been through it. I’ve been through that and done that.

“It would be great to manage the Dodgers, and I hope that I’ll be considered. Kevin is a great man, I enjoyed working with him in Baltimore, and I hope we speak soon. I understand that Felipe was his first choice, and Felipe is a good man. But I hope Kevin feels that I’m also someone who could help the Dodgers.”

The Dodgers, who were preparing to introduce Alou at a news conference today, thought they were close to completing a deal on Friday. Malone and team President Bob Graziano met with Alou at his off-season home near Miami to finalize the details on a three-year deal worth about $3.6 million, baseball sources said.

That came on the heels of several meetings last week in the Dominican Republic between Alou and the Dodgers’ top decision makers. But only minutes before Graziano and Malone arrived at his home, Alou completed a meeting with Montreal officials, whom he promised to speak with again before signing an agreement with the Dodgers.

Alou and Expo General Manager Jim Beattie met three times Saturday to complete his new contract. Terms were not released, but sources said that Alou, who made $600,000 last season, received a three-year extension worth about $1.8 million annually.

That deal is comparable to the three-year, $6-million package Leyland recently signed to manage in Colorado--placing him atop the list. The Dodgers, bolstered by the resources of the Fox Group, were unwilling to engage in a bidding war for Alou.

“I didn’t know Felipe very well before we met [in the Dominican Republic], but I came to like him more and more throughout the process,” Graziano said. “We wanted Felipe to join the Dodgers because we believe he could have accomplished a lot here.

“But as much as we respect Felipe, it wouldn’t have been in the best interest of the ballclub to get involved in that type of situation. That wouldn’t have helped us.”

Notes

Joe Amalfitano, Dodger third base coach, told the Colorado Rockies he is not interested in joining the club, sources said.

Colorado Manager Jim Leyland was interested in hiring Amalfitano as his bench coach. Amalfitano is expected to retire if he is not retained by the new Dodger manager.