Yesterday due to holiday exhaustion, I needed to share my by-line with Tim. Today, I'm back at this solo. One of the things we discussed in yesterday's article was the possibility of Donald Watkins buying the Florida Marlins from John Henry.

There have been reports that Henry has a sale agreement with an unknown party, one who has already undergone the extensive financial background check that is required by major league ball, so the agreement would just need the approval of 23 of the 30 owners at Tuesday's meeting. I should mention that the Commissioner's office has denied knowledge of such a sale and says that it is not on the agenda for next week's meeting.

While I still stand fully behind the idea of Donald Watkins as the undisclosed buyer, I would be remiss not to address the more widely held view that Montreal Expos owner Jeffery Loria is the unknown party. I am reluctant to assume that this is the case, mainly because the original story broken by the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that the sale was not related to contraction and that the new owner would not seek to remove the team from South Florida.

Before Jeffery Loria could become the new owner of the Florida Marlins, Major League Baseball would have to take control of the Expos. This is just one of the many reasons for us to hope that he is not the rumored buyer.

Loria's biggest problem over the last few years has been acquiring a new stadium for the Montreal team. Many speculated that he intended to move the Expos from the moment he purchased them. Even if that was not the case, he at the very least has been looking to transfer them to a brand new downtown ballpark. Given this overriding albeit somewhat justified desire to move the team into new quarters, he has created a situation similar to that coveted by the evil bitch who owned the Cleveland Indians in Major League. Montreal needs to leave their current decrepit, carpet-laden park for a stadium without a collapsing roof and concrete playing surface to have any hope of expanding their profits beyond the revenue-sharing contributions.

Florida is in a position very similar to that of the Expos when Loria purchased them. Many people believe that they need a new stadium or other change of venue. Why would Loria have more success with this club than he's had with the last one? At least in Montreal he doesn't have the additional problem of a state court system very disinclined to allow teams to move around willy-nilly.

Player Notes

In another example of Duquette's questionable roster management (which I forgot to mention in yesterday's article), Michael Coleman re-signed with the Red Sox. Coleman is a decent outfielder and could be a good backup if Boston trades Everett. If Coleman wasn't good enough for Duquette for the last few years, why does the Duke now believe that he can help the Red Sox? Do other teams have to find value in a player before Duquette will let them play for the Sox?

Eugene Kingsale was re-signed by the Mariners Wednesday. He has a chance to make the club in the spring as a fifth outfielder but will most likely remain the guy they call up when they have an injury.

Former Expo Anthony Telford signed a minor league deal with Texas. Before shoulder surgery at the end of the 2000 season, Telford was a decent right-handed setup man. If fully healthy, he could contribute to the Ranger's pen.

Texas has quietly put together a coaching staff containing a great deal of experience. Rudy Jaramillo has been with the club for the last seven years as their hitting coach and just signed a new long-term contract, pleasing their shortstop tremendously. Former Philadelphia manager Terry Francona will join the club as bench coach. As long as they keep him away from the pitching staff, he could contribute positively to the team in that role. Steve Smith will be their infield coach for 2002. Smith has managed several minor league clubs, served as a roving minor league infield instructor, and was a major league infield coach with Seattle from 1996-99.

Former Chicago Cub pitching coach Oscar Acosta will fill that role for the Rangers next year. Acosta has some positive qualities as long as he can control his temper and refrain from berating his players for not hiding potentially serious injuries (and from publicly questioning the veracity of their listed age). Jamie Quirk will be the bullpen coach. A talented defensive catcher in the major leagues between 1975-92, Quirk has spent the last six years as the Royals' bench coach, first for Bob Boone and then for Tony Muser. He was also bullpen coach for two years before his promotion to bench coach.

When I started this tangent, I was headed towards commenting that all this experience could have a very good effect on the major league team. However, now I'm beginning to worry that the Rangers may become a poster child for why experience doesn't always equal talent.

Most of these men have some very good traits intertwined with attitudes and habits that have proven negative in successfully handling players, especially young players. If Jerry Narron can manage his coaching staff in a way that brings out their finer qualities, he will already be well on his way to running a winning team. He will have to be careful as there are some very strong temperaments in the group. Alternately, if as a raw manager he does not take an authoritative position in the clubhouse, his coaches could wind up running all over him.

Elsewhere, what takes place in the front office will also have a big effect on what kind of team the Rangers field in 2001 and beyond. John Hart's talent is in signing young players during their arbitration years. Hart needs to combine his knowledge with that of Grady Fuson, who should know how to run a quality organization as Texas pirated him away from Oakland. The Rangers will be an overwhelming force in a few years as long as Hart delegates some of his authority instead of trying to do everything himself, a strategy that would leave Texas with some of the same problems that he left in Cleveland.

The Rangers still have one more major league coaching position to fill. Their choice of who to fill that position with may give us some clue as to which version of management will prevail.