AP: Larry Bowa interviews for Miami Marlins' job

MIAMI  — The Miami Marlins' last manager was an excitable former shortstop, and now they're considering another one: Larry Bowa.

Bowa became the second person interviewed for the job this week, a person familiar with the search said Friday. The person confirmed the discussions to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Marlins aren't commenting.

Cincinnati Reds pitching Bryan Price was interviewed Friday, the person said. A third candidate is former major league catcher Mike Redmond, who interviewed Wednesday.

The new manager will replace Ozzie Guillen, who was fired after only one dismal season.

Bowa last managed in 2004, when he finished his fourth year with the Philadelphia Phillies. He managed the San Diego Padres in 1987-88 and has a career record of 418-435. Long known for his fiery personality, he has been ejected from games 27 times as a manager.

The former Gold Glove shortstop, who played in the majors for 17 years, has been an analyst the past two seasons with the MLB Network.

Price has been the Reds' pitching coach since 2010. He previously was pitching coach for Seattle and Arizona. All of the interviews were conducted in New York City, where team owner Jeffrey Loria lives.

Redmond had his first interview for a big-league job this week when he met with Marlins officials. He spent the past two years managing Class A teams in the Toronto Blue Jays' system.

"Jim Leyland told me a long time ago when I was getting ready to retire, 'If you want to manage in the majors, you've got to go get some experience,'" Redmond said Friday from his home in Spokane, Wash. "I took that to heart and went out and took a job with the Blue Jays in A ball and got down to the grass roots, where you've got to teach and develop.

"I've learned a lot. I had a lot of great kids, and to see them improve is very satisfying. On top of that, we went to the playoffs both times. That was fun, too."

Leyland — now in the World Series with the Detroit Tigers — was Redmond's first big-league manager with the Marlins in 1998. Redmond, a .287 hitter over 13 seasons, played seven years for the Marlins and helped them win the World Series in 2003.

Because of his ties to Loria and president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest, some consider him the front-runner to replace Guillen.

"There's definitely a comfort level knowing them," Redmond said. "It's a great opportunity. I'm very thankful to get an interview there. The possibility of me going back to the organization where I made my major league debut and spent many years is exciting."

Guillen was fired Tuesday after only one season with the Marlins, and the next manager will be their fifth since early 2010. They're expected to interview at least a couple of other candidates.

Even during Redmond's playing days, he expressed an interest in managing, and he has had plenty of successful mentors. Along with Leyland, he played for Jack McKeon in Miami and Ron Gardenhire in Minnesota, among others.

"People ask you, 'What's your style?'" Redmond said. "I learned a lot from all of my managers. Jim Leyland taught me a lot. He was so great at matchups and getting guys in situations where they could succeed. Gardy showed a lot of faith in me as a player. He hit me third when everybody said, 'Don't do it.' And it worked. Jack was such a great guy and showed so much faith in his players. If guys were struggling, he let them work through it.

"There are so many guys I learned different things from. I sat and listened and watched and learned."