Won’t you come back, Uncle Lou?

You probably heard that the Mariners fired their manager. It wasn’t pretty. Which might make their pursuit of a new manager just a bit tougher than usual. Then again, considering how precious those jobs are, maybe it won’t. Maybe the Mariners, if they’re willing to spend what it takes, can have their pick of prospective helmsmen.

Or maybe not:

Lou Piniella, back in the dugout?

The Seattle Mariners recently contacted Piniella about the possibility, asking him to come out of retirement to manage their team again.

One source with knowledge of the discussions described the Mariners’ pursuit of Piniella as “a full-court press.”

Piniella, however, declined the Mariners’ overtures.

“I talked to them about the job, but that’s it,” Piniella told FOX Sports on Thursday night. “There was nothing else to it. It was just conversation, nothing more.”

Piniella, 70, said he does not want to manage again.

--snip--

Cincinnati Reds pitching coach Bryan Price and former Chicago White Sox bench coach Joey Cora are among the Mariners’ list of possibilities, sources say (Price also is a candidate for the Reds).

Maybe the Mariners will have their pick of prospective managers who actually want to manage?

What do Piniella, Price, and Cora have in common? All three speak Spanish fluently. What else do they have in common? All have been associated with the Mariners before. Price served as Mariners pitching coach from 2001 through ‘06, and Cora played second for the M’s from 1995 through (most of) 1998. I’ve never met Cora, but I did interview Price once, and I can report that he’s one of those guys. You know the ones I mean? Every word comes with a native authority, and if the world goes to hell he’s the one you’ll elect as Leader of your foraging group?

So I don’t know about Cora, but I won’t be at all surprised if Price manages somewhere.

Piniella and Price and Cora apparently aren’t the Mariners’ only favored candidates. But they’re the first three mentioned in that article, which makes me wonder if the organization doesn’t have an unhealthy fixation on candidates who used to be with the organization. Not that Price or Cora might not make a fine manager of the Pacific Northwest’s beloved diamond denizens. But cast your net widely, Seafarers. You never know what you might catch.