51s play waiting game for 2004

Nick Christensen

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2003 | 11:06 a.m.

Another offseason of major transition within the Los Angeles Dodgers means that the appointment of next year's manager for the Las Vegas 51s is uncertain, according to last season's 51s manager.

Speaking from his office at the Dodgers' training complex in Vero Beach, Fla., John Shoemaker said that uncertainty stems from the possible sale of the team and with minor-league director Bill Bavasi's move to Seattle to become general manager of the Mariners.

Prospective new owner Frank McCourt's bid to buy the club has been hampered by delays in approval from Major League Baseball and questions about his ability to finance the purchase.

"The 2004 minor-league assignments have not been made official yet," Shoemaker said. "There has been some speculation of what might happen, but until final announcements are made, I personally don't know what I will be doing next year." When the Dodgers announced that their coaching staff would return next season, that gave the transition a measure of stability.

The only change on the staff was at hitting coach. George Hendrick started the 2003 season with the Triple-A 51s, then he replaced Dodgers hitting coach Jack Clark in August. Hendrick asked to return to Las Vegas, where he makes his home, next season.

News Corp. is attempting to sell the team to McCourt, a Boston real estate devleoper. Reports in the Los Angeles media have indicated that McCourt might try to replace Dodgers general manager Dan Evans with Oakland's Billy Beane or the Yankees' Brian Cashman, putting Evans in a potential lameduck position.

An article in Tuesday's Los Angeles Times reported that the sale may be stalled. McCourt apparently missed a deadline to file his application for ownership, meaning that baseball's owners can't vote to approve the sale until after the owners' Nov. 20 meetings.

The delay figures to impact decisions for next season.

"You'd want to try and get something in place as soon as possible," Shoemaker said.

"But this may take some time with the new ownership coming in and depending how long they want to take to search for a new minorleague farm director." The search for Bavasi's replacement might not have an impact on the minor-league managerial assignments for the upcoming season.

"The one thing most organizations try to do, they would like to make their moves all in one big shot, instead of making a move and all of a sudden five or six other things transpire, forcing other moves to occur," Shoemaker said.

Nonetheless, Shoemaker, a 27-year veteran of the Dodgers organization, predictably said he'd be pleased with whatever position the team assigns him to next year.

"If it is returning to Las Vegas, I think that would be tremendous," Shoemaker said. "If it were going onto another position in the organization, I would accept and relish that job."

NOTES: The 2005 season will bring a new opponent to Cashman Field. The Edmonton Trappers last month announced that pitching legend Nolan Ryan purchased the team and will move it to the Austin suburb of Round Rock, Texas. The Double-A Round Rock Express averaged 9,578 fans a game last year, third best in the minors behind Memphis and Sacramento. The team will keep the Express nickname and is expected to change its affiliation from the Montreal Expos to the Houston Astros. ...

The 51s will open the '04 season at home Thursday, April 8, against the Portland Beavers. The Beavers left Las Vegas last season after chasing down a rowdy fan into the stands at Cashman Field after a four-game series with the 51s.