Pirates Name Third-Base Coach Lamont as Manager

The Pittsburgh Pirates didn’t look beyond their own dugout to find Jim Leyland’s replacement, hiring third-base coach Gene Lamont on Thursday as only their third manager in 20 years.

Lamont, the Chicago White Sox manager from 1992 until June 1995, was given a three-year contract worth about $1 million. Pirate General Manager Cam Bonifay also got a two-year extension through the 2000 season.

Lamont, 49, is Leyland’s best friend in baseball and was on his staff for seven seasons, but insisted the Pirates aren’t getting Jim Leyland II.

“I’m not going to manage the way Jim Leyland managed. I’ve got to manage the way I manage,” said Lamont, who was 252-210 with the White Sox and was the 1993 American League manager of the year. “I’ve got to be my own man.”

The Pirates will cut their payroll to $18 million next season while rebuilding with prospects obtained in trades involving Denny Neagle, Danny Darwin, Dave Clark and Charlie Hayes. They will likely trade at least two more veterans during the off-season.

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Leyland, who has three offers that would likely make him baseball’s highest-paid manager, expects to choose his new team today.

The Florida Marlins, Chicago White Sox and Boston Red Sox have all offered Leyland contracts in the range of $1.5 million a year. He rejected an offer from the Angels.

St. Louis Manager Tony La Russa’s $1.5-million salary is the largest among major-league managers.

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A bill to repeal baseball’s antitrust exemption died as its two-year period for being approved expired on Capitol Hill.

The bill, introduced by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), must be presented again next year and go through the process again from the first step of being introduced.

Without the antitrust exemption in place, the players’ association could sue the owners in federal court and prevent them from unilaterally imposing their own labor terms and conditions, such as a salary cap, upon the players.

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Wendell Kim, Bobby Bonds and Jim Davenport will not return as coaches for the San Francisco Giants next season. Bonds, the father of Giant outfielder Barry Bonds, has been the team’s batting coach since 1993. Kim has been the team’s third base coach for five seasons and Davenport was the first base coach this season. All three were offered other jobs with the team.