Line Behind Lasorda Getting Pretty Long

Eight years have passed since Bill Russell was asked to prepare for Dodger Manager Tom Lasorda’s job.

Phil Regan, former Dodger pitcher who manages a Dodger-laden team each winter in Venezuela, has heard rumors for the last 10 years that he would replace Lasorda.

Mike Scioscia still was sitting behind the plate when he first heard that his future was managing the Dodgers.

Reggie Smith had just joined the coaching staff two years ago when whispers began that he would be the next Dodger manager.

The baseball world continues to speculate on Lasorda’s replacement, but there is no guarantee the job will ever be open.

Bobby Valentine got tired of waiting. So did Davey Lopes. And Kevin Kennedy. And Terry Collins . . .

“Can you imagine if I went down to [triple-A] Albuquerque in ‘88, when they wanted me to?” said Russell, the Dodger bench coach who did, eventually, spend two seasons managing at Albuquerque. “Man, I’d still be down there, waiting. I joke around and say, ‘Tommy, come on, give one of us a chance.’ But he just may outlast all of us.”

The conjecture among Dodger insiders is that Regan will become the next Dodger manager until Scioscia is ready, unless Lasorda continues to manage for several years. In that case, Regan could be skipped and the job passed directly to Scioscia.

Yet this may well be Lasorda’s final year, setting the stage for Regan, who at 58 volunteered to manage in Albuquerque this season.

“I hear that a lot and I’m always asked that,” Regan said. “But I really can’t see Tommy retiring. I did this because I still love managing. I couldn’t dedicate 10 years of my life to give it up after one year [of managing at Baltimore].

“But, hey, if I’m in the position, and being in the organization, I just hope I’m considered.”

Fred Claire, Dodger executive vice president, says there is no list of successors.

“There has never been a commitment made to anybody,” Claire said. “It’s crazy to think of who might be there right now because we don’t need to know.”

Regan, who managed the Orioles to a 71-73 record last season in his first year as manager, still is the heavy favorite. He is one of Claire’s closest associates, and one year wasn’t enough to evaluate Regan’s performance.

But if Regan is the manager in waiting, Scioscia, 37, is the manager of the future. The Dodger players rave about his managerial instincts. Veterans swear he could step into the dugout right now and be successful.

But that isn’t the Dodger way. Scioscia hasn’t paid his dues. He has never managed and until he gets that experience in the minors, the Dodgers will wait.

“It’s not like I don’t feel I can do the job,” Scioscia, 37, said. “But right now I don’t consider myself a candidate. Fred Claire says he wants someone with managerial experience, and I don’t have that prerequisite.”

Scioscia could have managed in the minors this season but returned to his job as a roving catching instructor.

Russell, 47, had long been considered the favorite but his stock appears to be slipping.

“We all would like to manage,” Russell said. “ . . . I’d like to think I’d have a chance, but there are no guarantees in this game.”

Smith, 50, has been the most reserved of the candidates. He says he would be honored to be considered for the job, but has no intention of actively pursuing it.

“Right now, my focus is to be a teacher and batting coach,” Smith said. “But you never say never. It’s something I feel I can do if called upon to do it, but I have not prepared myself to be a manger, per se.”

In the meantime, baseball speculates about the man who will become only the third Dodger manager since 1954.

“Who knows,” Lasorda said, winking. “I may keep them all in suspense for a long, long time.”