Mariners Get OK to Talk to Riggleman

The Seattle Mariners have received permission from the Dodgers to interview bench coach Jim Riggleman Wednesday for their managerial job, which will officially open today when Lou Piniella is named manager of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Riggleman, 49, compiled a 486-598 record in seven years as a big league manager, two with the San Diego Padres (1993-94) and five with the Chicago Cubs (1995-99). He spent 2000 as the Cleveland Indians’ third base coach and has been on Dodger Manager Jim Tracy’s staff for the last two seasons.

Among the candidates the Mariners plan to interview, beginning today, are Seattle bench coach John McLaren, Seattle pitching coach Bryan Price, Seattle coaching consultant Lee Elia, New York Yankee third base coach Willie Randolph and Baltimore Oriole bench coach Sam Perlozzo.

Piniella was released from the final year of his contract with the Mariners to accept a four-year, $13-million offer to manage near his home in the Tampa area.

--Mike DiGiovanna

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Although Game 6 showed an improvement over Game 5 in the ratings -- the first time that has happened since 1993 -- the “fast” national of 11.8 with a 21 share for the Angels’ dramatic, come-from-behind 6-5 victory was still below what Game 6 did last year.

Arizona’s 15-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 6 last year got a 13.4/24. The average rating for the first six games of the this year’s World Series is 10.9/19, 24% below the average for the first six games of last year’s World Series (14.3/24).

Still, the Angels’ victory in Game 6 delivered Fox its best Saturday prime-time rating since Game 6 of the 2001 World Series and allowed the network to win the night in households for the fifth time during the six games of this Series.

San Francisco posted its highest rating for the Series, and for the fifth time was the highest-rated market in the country, eclipsing runner-up Los Angeles by 19% (36.5 vs. 30.6).

Larry Stewart