HURRY UP & WAIT! YANKEE MANAGER INTERVIEWS CONTINUE

Photo: New York Daily News

This is a slow Winter so far. There's been only one noteworthy free agent signing and we are now five weeks from the Yankees cutting ties with Joe Girardi and we still have no new manager. I was restless a while ago but now I am just losing my mind. Give me some action, somewhere! The lack of movement has me coming up with too many theories.

My latest theory? Maybe the Yankees aren't sold on any of the managerial candidates they have interviewed so far.

Photo: NJ.com

As of yesterday's interview with Carlos Beltran, the Yankees have interviewed six people. I have faith the Yankees will choose the best man for the job but I have to admit that as much as I REALLY like Beltran I am not sold on giving him the job UNLESS he has an incredibly strong bench coach and coaching staff around him. He's a great clubhouse presence, a good communicator and a leader but....does he have his finger on the analytical piece?

Photo Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke

Maybe he does and I am not giving him enough credit but obviously the Yankees have enough confidence to give him the opportunity to interview. Considering that there are analytical guys out there that haven't been given the opportunity to interview yet and may still be waiting like David Cone. According to a recent update HERE he hasn't been contacted.

(Photo by Leslie Plaza Johnson/Icon Sportswire)

The Yankees seem to be looking for some quality that they just haven't found yet. Even if they were intrigued by something in Beltran's interview it sounds like the Yankees have one if not two more candidates to interview before making a decision according to the NY Daily News HERE. If that is the case, could the Yankees go into the Winter Meetings STILL without a manager?!

To add to my theory, even though Rob Thomson is considered a favorite for the job given his good reputation within the organization maybe the Yankees are ready to part ways with him too. He got the first interview and has said he even wants to stay within the organization even if he isn't the next skipper but he's already looking at other opportunities.

Photo: New York Daily News

According to the New York Post, the Phillies are interested in Thomson and they interviewed him for their bench coach position yesterday. Is he just being proactive or did the Yankees already hint to him that they wouldn't be interested in him as a manager? You can't blame the guy for looking for a job, even though he is well liked, he's not guaranteed to even get his bench coach position back.

I don't know if there is any truth to these theories, but it has to make you wonder exactly what direction the Yankees will go and what they are looking for. Have they even interviewed our future manager yet? The Yankees said they will interview "less than 10" candidates. We're already at six.....

So Is Beltran our next manager? Will David Cone wait for a phone call that will never come? Is Rob Thomson done with the Yankees for good?

I hope the answer to that last question is "no" but I guess we will have to wait and see.

Stay tuned.

--Jeana Bellezza
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @nyprincessj