By today, the Boston Red Sox should have five interviews down in their search for a new manager.

First came Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin, Brewers coach Dale Sveum and Indians coach Sandy Alomar. Next came the announcement that Blue Jays coach Torey Lovullo and Tigers coach Gene Lamont were to be interviewed this weekend.

How many to go?

I had expected to hear of Dodgers coach Trey Hillman scheduling an interview. He seemed to have all the credentials Boston was looking for (lots of varied experience, including manager in the majors and minors and even Japan, plus a stint as a director of player development).

Hard to pick a favorite out of the group. Sveum’s name keeps popping up, and he drew lots of praise for his baseball knowledge when he was a coach with the Red Sox (2004-05).

Sveum could be a comfortable fit for new general manager Ben Cherington.

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Mike Maddux dropped out of consideration for the Red Sox job. But you have to love his explanation.

When Maddux cited his wife and two daughters as a reason for not wanting to go to Boston, it did not appear to be one of those “going to spend more time with my family” cliches.

Maddux was quoted on the Rangers website, saying, “Family matters … My wife and two daughters are together in the same state for the first time in three years and words cannot describe my happiness.

“The game of baseball has many sacrifices, but being apart from family is the toughest. I feel there is too much distance between the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Boston to see my family as much as I’d enjoy.”

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Good public relations move by the Red Sox to not raise ticket prices in 2012. Not only do fans still have the taste of the September collapse, but ownership has not performed well on the public stage, especially in the resignation/firing of Terry Francona.

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Dan Duquette, the former Red Sox general manager (1994-2001), is returning to the major leagues, taking over the Orioles GM job.

While Duquette was criticized for ignoring the Red Sox farm system, he acquired seven of the players who were part of the 2004 World Series team: Johnny Damon, Derek Lowe, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez, Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield and Kevin Youkilis.

Here is a trivia question: Who were the two players on the 2004 Boston team not acquired by either Duquette or Theo Epstein?

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Former Sea Dogs are looking to sign new contracts this offseason. Outfielder David Murphy is again up for arbitration with the Texas Rangers. He made $2.4 million last year.

Brandon Moss, Murphy’s former teammate in the Hadlock outfield, has opted for free agency after the Phillies removed him from the 40-man roster.

And catcher Kelly Shoppach might be switching teams after the Tampa Bay Rays declined their $3.2-million option on him. Shoppach could still re-sign with Tampa Bay.

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A $100 gift card from Hannaford Supermarkets is being offered through Friday to anyone buying a 10-game family ticket package to the Sea Dogs. The package includes four reserved seats to 10 of the teams’ more popular games (fireworks, Zooperstars, Field of Dreams, etc.). The package cost $320. See www.seadogs.com or call 879-9500 for details.

The Sea Dogs scored with an upgrade in radio stations, moving from 1490-AM to 95.9 and 95.5 on the FM dial. Both stations are part of the WEEI network.

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Trivia answer: Trot Nixon (drafted in 1993 by general manager Lou Gorman) and Alan Embree (obtained in a trade in 2002 by general manager Mike Port).


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