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<!--start byline-->By GEORGE KING <!--end byline--><HR color=#000000 SIZE=1><TABLE cellSpacing=2 width=140 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><!--start photo--><!--WEBPHOTO1--><!--end photo--><!--start caption--><!--WEBCAPTION1--><!--end caption--><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" align=center bgColor=#e7e3e3 valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3 height=2></TD><TR><TD width=2></TD><TD width="98%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center bgColor=#ffffff valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width="50%">
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Reprint</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD width=1></TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3 height=2></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>November 4, 2004 -- <!--start bodytext-->Even if Willie Randolph is going to manage the arch-rival Mets, the Yankees' extended family was happy for him. The former Yankees' second baseman, captain, third-base coach and bench coach will be named the Mets' manager today — and his pinstriped pals couldn't be happier.
"He's finally getting a chance," said Reggie Jackson, a Yankee special adviser and former Randolph teammate.
"I'm sorry he's leaving the Yankees, but it's time for him to move on. He has reached his ceiling with the Yankees, and I'm very glad to see him get the job. He's a great baseball man."
Said Don Zimmer, the man Randolph replaced last year as Joe Torre's bench coach: "That's great, he has been interviewed enough.
"Where could it happen any better? He is right there at home. He gets to sleep in his own bed and manage in the big leagues. That's great."
Rob Thomson, the Yankees' pre-game coordinator and special-assignment instructor since last November and a candidate to replace Randolph since Torre thinks very highly of him, was happy for Randolph, too.
"That's great news," Thomson said. "What I learned from him and about him was how tough he is mentally and emotionally. When things got bad he kept his poise. That's because he has been a winner and a champion.
"He is an organized guy with a great eye for the game. And he knows how to deal with people."
Efforts to reach George Steinbrenner and Torre were unsuccessful. <!--OAS Middle-->
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So who replaces Randolph next to Torre? That depends on who makes the call. Years ago the manager picked his coaches, but that practice has changed.
If Steinbrenner has a big name he will be the bench coach. And the first one that comes to mind is Bucky Dent, who has managed the past two years at Columbus (Triple-A) and is a Steinbrenner favorite.
However, there are other names in the mix. Chuck Cottier, an advance scout for the Yankees and a former manager in Seattle, is in the organization and has the experience. Then there is Joe Girardi, whom Torre said would be a wonderful addition to the Marlins when they were considering him to be Jack McKeon's bench coach. That position went to former Phillies manager Larry Bowa yesterday. Girardi could also surface as the catching instructor after Gary Tuck resigned yesterday. Torre could also shift Don Mattingly from hitting coach to bench coach and hire Rudy Jaramillo, who interviewed for the Mets' managing job and is under contract with the Rangers until Dec. 31
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