Well, the first round of interviews (maybe) has come to an end: Sandy Alderson met last night with Jose Oquendo, the tenth official candidate for the job. (The other nine? Via MetsBlog: Clint Hurdle, Bob Melvin, Terry Collins, Chip Hale, Dave Jauss, Wally Backman, Ken Oberkfell, Don Wakamatsu, and DeMarlo Hale.) Alderson said he might still interview “one or two” other candidates before starting a second round of interviews, but otherwise he hopes to begin that process during the general managers meetings in Orlando. (Alderson will attend roughly half the meetings and spend the rest of his time with family in St. Petersburg, following the death of his father in a car accident on Saturday.) As for who will get called back for a second meeting: Reports say that Melvin and Collins are the front-runners for the job — a reality that’s left at least one Mets blogger unimpressed — and that Chip Hale and Backman may get a second interview, as well. A reminder, for what it’s worth, that one report already has Backman getting a second interview — though it’s looking more than ever like the job will go to someone with previous big-league managing experience.
Alderson: Callbacks could begin in Orlando [Surfing the Mets/NYDN]
Mets’ Alderson meets with Oquendo [NYP]