A's give OK for Boston to talk to Billy Beane

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- The Oakland Athletics gave Boston permission to talk to general manager Billy Beane about the same job with the Red Sox.
Beane received a three-year contract extension through 2008 last spring from owner Steve Schott. He has built the A's into a contender despite one of baseball's lowest payrolls.
Red Sox spokesman Kevin Shea said Saturday he could not immediately confirm the club had received permission to speak to Beane.
Boston interim GM Mike Port remains a candidate and will represent the Red Sox at the upcoming general managers' meetings in Tucson, Ariz.
Port got the job when Dan Duquette was fired in spring training.
The A's have won 100 or more games for two straight seasons and made the playoffs the last three years, losing in the first round each time. In 2002, Oakland won 103 games and the AL West but lost to Minnesota in the American League division series. The A's also had an AL-record 20-game winning streak.
The Red Sox have already interviewed include Orioles adviser Mike Flanagan, Philadelphia assistant GM Mike Arbuckle, New York Mets assistant GM Jim Duquette, Cincinnati director of player personnel Leland Maddox, former Chicago White Sox general manager Ron Schueler, and Port's special assistant, Lee Thomas. Duquette is Dan Duquette's cousin.
Beane, 40, joined the A's front office in 1990 as an advance scout. He became an assistant general manager under Sandy Alderson in 1993.
He played six years in the majors with the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and A's. He was a reserve on the 1989 World Series champion A's team, his final season as a player.