St. Louis – Ellis Burks nearly became Ellis Back.
Rockies manager Clint Hurdle confirmed Monday that he offered Burks the team’s open first-base coaching position. Burks, an original Blake Street Bomber, declined.
Burks told Hurdle he wasn’t prepared to leave his current job as a special assistant to Cleveland Indians general manager Mark Shapiro, which allows him a more flexible schedule.
“I had a good talk with him and he’s comfortable where he’s at,” Hurdle said.
At this point, the Rockies could charge admission for an intrasquad game between those who have been interviewed for their hitting instructor job and the vacant first-base coaching position.
Alan Trammell, the Tigers’ 1984 World Series MVP, hit it off with Hurdle during extensive discussions over the past two weeks. But Trammell has accepted a job as the Chicago Cubs’ bench coach.
“We were further along with him than anybody else, but we still have a great list to work from,” Hurdle said.
Hurdle has spoken with Hall of Famer Gary Carter and former Rockie Howard Johnson, who are minor- league managers with the Mets’ organization and teammates of Hurdle’s in New York. Hurdle said they would be among the finalists.
Other candidates include former outfielder Rob Deer,the Padres’ roving minor-league hitting instructor; Bill Robinson, roving minor-league instructor for the Dodgers; Ron Jackson, who coached the Red Sox’s hitters; Jose Morales, a former big-league instructor for the Marlins and Indians; and Alan Cockrell and Jim Johnson in-house.
Among those up for the first-base job are Lynn Jones, Max Venable and Gary Varsho, and Rockies’ minor-league coaches Tom Runnells and Stu Cole, while Gary Matthews Sr., Jerry Royster and Darnell Coles have inquired about the job.
