O's interview Girardi for manager's job

MLB.com

06/20/2007 1:26 AM ET

BALTIMORE -- Joe Girardi was interviewed in Chicago on Tuesday by Baltimore Orioles executives, a day after the team fired manager Sam Perlozzo.

"They have a process that they need to get through, and we'll see what happens," Girardi told The Baltimore Sun after the interview. "They basically told me that they wanted to do it sooner or later, but it is a process. It was a good meeting. I am not sure what their timetable is."

ESPN's Peter Gammons is reporting that the team has offered him their vacant managerial job. The Baltimore Sun cited cited two team sources as saying Girardi was the front-runner for the job. A source close to Orioles said the ESPN report was inaccurate.

"We met for a couple of hours," Orioles executive vice president Mike Flanagan told The Sun. "We're not going to get into characterizing how well it went."

Girardi was a first-time manager last season when he led Florida to a 78-84 record last year, keeping the youthful Marlins in contention until late September.

He was fired at the end of the season following a rift with owner Jeffrey Loria, then was voted NL Manager of the Year -- the first to win the award with a losing record.

A former coach for Yankees manager Joe Torre, Girardi returned to New York this season as a broadcaster for the YES Network.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.