Logan seeks field boss; Shoemaker moves on

Nick Christensen

Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2004 | 9:36 a.m.

The Las Vegas 51s will have a new manager for the 2004 season, outgoing manager John Shoemaker confirmed.

Shoemaker, who managed the 51s to a 76-66 record in 2003, will return to a position of roving instructor. 51s general manager Don Logan said he expects to announce the teams' 2004 manager within the next two weeks. There are three or four candidates, Logan said, and at least one of them may be with another minor-league organization.

Locals Marty Barrett, Steve Yeager and Rick Down have all been suggested as possibilities for the 51s job. Las Vegan George Hendrick will return to the 51s as hitting instructor, and Dino Ebel, who moved to Las Vegas from Barstow, Calif., last fall, will likely return as the Dodgers' Double-A manager in Jacksonville for a third season.

Logan said that Shoemaker wanted to be in more of an instructor's role that could also keep him closer to his home in Vero Beach, Fla.

"(Shoemaker) suggested that he was better suited to work with the younger guys. His work ethic kind of rubs off. It permeated the whole organization," Logan said. "I don't know that Bill (Bavasi) was leaning that way, but Terry Collins is and that's what he wanted Shoe to do."

Bavasi had been the Dodgers' minor-league director until being hired as the Seattle Mariners' general manager in the fall. Collins, the Dodgers' minor-league coordinator, assumed Bavasi's responsibilities while the Dodgers undergo a transition highlighted by the protracted ownership bid of real estate developer Frank McCourt.

Published reports indicate that McCourt could assume ownership of the Dodgers at baseball's meetings next week.

"I was fortunate to get a chance to work there," Shoemaker said. "This next season I'm going to be in some other capacity in the organization. I don't exactly know what it's going to be, but I will be probably getting a chance to see more of our minor-league players than just the Triple-A team."

Under Shoemaker, the 51s finished 10 games above .500, but 15 behind first-place Sacramento in the PCL's Southern Division. Before joining the 51s, Shoemaker managed at various Dodgers minor-league outposts, guiding teams to the playoffs at Double-A Jacksonville and San Antonio, and Single-A Savannah and Vero Beach.

Logan said that while he thought Shoemaker did a good job, he had a tough time handling the personalities of some of the older players who were playing for their own statistics, and not the good of the team.

"This is the toughest level to manage because of the six-year free agents. The team element of the game gets lost at the Triple-A level because of a lot of the guys here, six-year guys in particular, are just here trying to get back to the big leagues," Logan said. "Shoe is a purist. He believes in playing the game right, and it's tough dealing with some of older guys. They couldn't have cared less. Their prime goal was to get back to big leagues. It wasn't to develop players for L.A. or to win games here. That was the part he struggled with the most."

LANGER RETURNS: Russ Langer, who has been the radio voice of the 51s for the past three seasons, will return to the team next season. While a couple of positions remain up open in the major leagues, Langer said last month that the three big positions in the majors were quickly filled. Before coming to Las Vegas, Langer called games for the Albuquerque Dukes and the Triple-A Phoenix Firebirds.

STADIUM UPDATE: According to Logan, discussions are taking place "daily" regarding the 51s' quest to find a new ballpark. One of the things he's looking for in a new manager is someone who can help as an ambassador in their quest for a new ballpark.

"We need someone who can clearly explain the inadequacies of this place," Logan said. "That's the importance of cooperation."

Logan said he still expects to have some sort of announcement regarding a new ballpark by the start of the 2004 season.