"Boston has received permission to interview Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. to be their manager. But the Red Sox may have company when it comes to Alomar.

Boston has undergone changes in the dugout and front office following its September collapse which cost it a trip to the postseason. Manager Terry Francona, who led the Red Sox to two World Series, was fired and GM Theo Epstein left to take over the Chicago Cubs as president of baseball operations.

Before Epstein left, he worked closely with Ben Cherington, Boston's new GM, to form a list of managerial candidates. On Wednesday the Cubs were in the market for a manager after Mike Quade was fired. So the two teams are working from a similar, if not the same, list.

Cherington has already interviewed Milwaukee hitting coach Dale Sveum and Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin. Along with Alomar, Cherington has received permission to talk to Mike Maddux, pitching coach for the Texas Rangers. Alomar and Maddux could interview next week.

The first two candidates the Cubs will interview are Mackanin and Maddux. Sveum is also a possibility, which means Alomar could get a call from the Friendly Confines.

Other candidates reportedly being considered in Boston are Dave Martinez, Tampa Bay's bench coach, Torey Lovullo, Toronto's first-base coach and Tim Wallach, the Dodgers' third-base coach. "