Terry Collins Seems to Be Angels’ Leading Candidate

Terry Collins, fired as the Houston Astros’ manager in October, is believed to be the leading candidate to become the next Angel manager, supplanting Sparky Anderson as the favorite to get the job.

Collins returned to Anaheim on Friday for his third interview with Angel officials, discussing a variety of topics ranging from potential coaching staff members to the handling of young players to possible changes he would implement on the team.

Collins, 47, met with General Manager Bill Bavasi, assistant GM Tim Mead and player development director Ken Forsch, but Angel President Tony Tavares did not sit in on the interview. Collins met with Tavares last week.

“I thought things went great,” Collins said before returning to Houston on Friday afternoon. “I’ve done everything I can do to convince them I’m the guy who can get it done. Now, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

The Angels are expected to make their decision next week. There has been widespread speculation and some television reports that Anderson, the former Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tiger manager, would get the job, but Anderson said he has not been in contact with the Angels for four or five days.

“My daughter called the other day and said, ‘Why am I always the last to know?’ ” Anderson, 62, said. “And I’ve had friends call to congratulate me. I tell them they know something I don’t.”

Tavares, who heads Disney Sports Enterprises, is believed to be a strong proponent of Anderson for obvious reasons: He’s third on baseball’s all-time win list with 2,194 career victories, he managed both the Reds and Tigers to World Series championships, he has great public relations skills and works well with the media.

An added benefit for the Angels: Anderson would bring back as pitching coach Marcel Lachemann, who resigned as manager in August but remains a favorite of Bavasi, and retain batting instructor Rod Carew.

A potential drawback to Anderson: It could take a salary in the $1-million range to draw him out of retirement. Collins wouldn’t cost half that much.