Beltran will take a swing at Yankee job

Next up: Carlos Beltran. The Yankees will interview Beltran for their managerial vacancy on Wednesday, the Daily News confirmed. Beltran would become the sixth candidate to interview, joining Rob Thomson, Eric Wedge, Hensley Meulens, Aaron Boone and Chris Woodward. Beltran, the former Yankee and Met outfielder, just retired after winning a World Series with the Astros, and has no previous managerial or coaching experience. But he's bilingual and certainly has been a successful leader during his career. There will be at least one more managerial interview conducted after Beltran, possibly two, an indication that no one has blown the Yankees away. It is possible, then, that the Bombers may not conclude what has been a long, drawn-out search until the Winter Meetings in Orlando on Dec. 10-14. But Beltran already has the endorsement of at least one former teammate. "When 'Los was here, he was kind of like a manager," CC Sabathia said. "Always talking to guys, pulling them aside — starters, relievers, hitters, he does it all. "Obviously his baseball IQ is off the charts," Sabathia continued. "He's a great personality, he can get along with the guys. I think he'll be a good manager. Just have to wait and see how it shakes out here, but at some point he's going to be a good manager for somebody." At the Owners' Meetings, Hal Steinbrenner said the Bombers would interview "less than 10" candidates before cutting down to 2-3 finalists who would travel to Tampa to meet with Steinbrenner and the rest of his family. Brian Cashman has been in charge of conducting the search, and has put no timetable on the process. The Yankees can take their time given that they have the only vacancy in baseball.