Minnesota and Anaheim gave fans a taste of traditional playoff baseball with a pitchers' duel in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series. Of course, Garret Anderson hit a solo shot in the second to give the Angels an early lead. However, Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones prevented balls from leaving the park in the 1st and 3rd respectively.

In the 4th, Dustan Mohr was called safe at second, though the replay seemed to indicate he was out after he chose to attempt to steal 2B rather than face a sure out after a pick-off throw to first. Eric Milton remained in the game through 6 innings, allowing six baserunners and striking out four. Jarrod Washburn pitched 7 innings of 6-hit ball with no walks and 7 strikeouts. However, Jacque Jones tied the game with a double in the 7th, though he was so confident that the ball was over the fence he started to go into a home run trot.

Luis Rivas almost robbed Eckstein of a base hit in the bottom of the 7th, just slightly missing a high line drive. Ben Molina had walked to lead off the inning and the Angels' pinch ran with Chone Figgins. Unfortunately, Figgins displayed poor baserunning instincts, which eventually led to him making the second out of the inning at home on an infield grounder by Darin Erstad. Consequently, the Twins were able to get out of the inning without allowing a run.

Nevertheless, the game would not remain tied for long, as Troy Glaus went deep in the 8th. Tim Salmon left Wednesday's game in the fourth inning due to a hamstring problem, and though he was fine to start on Friday, the Angels pulled him for a defensive replacement in the 9th. Alex Ochoa made two nice catches for the first two outs of the 9th, including one impressive dive. The game ended with a flyout to left off the bat of A.J. Pierzynski, and once again 20-year-old relief pitcher Francisco Rodriguez received credit for a win, notching his third victory of the postseason.

On Friday, the Rangers hired Buck Showalter as their new manager, signing him to a 4-year contract worth a reported $6M. In addition to Showalter, Texas interviewed Bench coach Terry Francona, first base coach DeMarlo Hale, and Buddy Bell. Farm director Trey Hillman would have been in the running for the position had he not signed a two-year contract with the Nippon Ham Fighters to manage in Japan.

Both Rangers' owner Tom Hicks and Texas GM John Hart seem very happy that they were able to sign Showalter, especially since he was the most popular candidate among former major league managers this off-season. The Cubs, Mets, Devil Rays, and Brewers are still seeking new managers; all were reportedly somewhat interested in Showalter. We also have not yet heard confirmation that Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro will sign interim manager Joel Skinner to a long-term extension as we expect. Additionally, rumors are again surfacing that Seattle might allow Lou Piniella to look for employment elsewhere even though he still has a year left on his contract. However, many of the other franchises interested in him will likely benefit more from hiring rookies.

Showalter began his managerial career after a seven-year minor league career as an infielder in the New York Yankees system. He spent four years as a minor league manager for the Yankees' A and AA teams from 1985-1989, and then in 1992 New York gave him his first position as a major league manager. New York fired him following the 1995 season, and in 1996 he joined the forming the Diamondbacks' organization, spending two years with the club before they were even playing games. Arizona dismissed him following the 2000 season, and he began working for ESPN as an analyst.

The Texas organization is different than the Yankee and Diamondback clubs that Showalter previously managed. Texas doesn't need him to provide as much organizational leadership as he did in Arizona, and the Rangers are a much stronger club now than the New York team he took over in 1992. Of course, he's probably best known for being fired the season before those teams won the World Series. I felt the Rangers were a good candidate for an untested manager since they have a solid core of veterans and a strong group of young player that could have matured with the manager. However, Showalter should provide a sound environment for the rookies and communicate well with the veterans.

Philadelphia signed former Boston pitching coach and manager Joe Kerrigan to a two-year contract as their pitching coach, replacing Vern Ruhle. I didn't necessarily support Ruhle's dismissal, but his replacement should have a positive influence on their pitching staff. Kerrigan excelled in Boston during his five years as their pitching coach before assuming the manager's job last August. He also spent this season as a post-game analyst on Phillies' broadcasts, so he should possess a valuable familiarity with Philadelphia's pitchers.

More impressively, Kansas City made a surprisingly intelligent decision in hiring former Chicago Cubs' hitting coach Jeff Pentland. Carlos Beltran seems like a strong candidate to respond positively to Pentland's tutelage, while Raul Ibanez, Carlos Febles, and Mark Quinn should also benefit from his instruction.