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Geoff Baker covers the Mariners for The Seattle Times. He provides daily coverage of the team throughout spring training, and during the season.

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November 18, 2008 5:22 PM

Disappointment for runner-up M's candidates

Posted by Geoff Baker

The Mariners have now told the six candidates who did not get the managerial job that Don Wakamatsu is the team's new field boss. Click the above link on Wakamatsu's name to see a video of him introducing himself as part of some baseball instructional camp.

Joey Cora, pictured above, told me moments ago that general manager Jack Zduriencik had phoned him within the hour.

"I'm frustrated and disappointed, no doubt,'' Cora said. "I thought I would have been a great fit. But that's his decision. He's the GM. he's trying to restore the franchise to where it was and he thinks that he has a better chance of doing it with the other guy. It is what it is.''

Another of the candidates, DeMarlo Hale, has been down this road of rejection before.

"You understand the process and you understand that there was only one person they could pick,'' Hale said.

Hale added that it won't be too difficult to move on.

"It's not difficult at all,'' Hale said. "You've got to look at it as an opportunity. They've chosen another candidate, gone in another direction.''

Chip Hale, another of the candidates, told Larry Stone that Zduriencik phoned him about an hour ago and told him they were going in a different direction.

"To be honest, I'm extremely disappointed,'' Hale said. "But I learned a long time ago, especially playing baseball in college and professionally, to be disappointed but not discouraged. There's a big difference in those two words. There will be other opportunities. This was a great learning experience. The Mariners are a great organization. That's why I was so excited.''

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