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It's been less than a week since the Twins announced Ron Gardenhire's dismissal, but already there has been a dizzying whirlwind of reports and rumors regarding who might replace him as manager. Struggling to keep up? No worries. Read on and we'll get you up to speed on all the latest substantive whisperings about the team's search for a skipper successor.* Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted on Friday that "Doug Mientkiewicz has emerged as the favorite, ever so slightly over Paul Molitor." Earlier in the week, Nightengale had named Mientkiewicz and Molitor as finalists for the job. Although he's a national reporter, Nightengale has been the first to break Twins news multiple times in the past, leading me to believe he has a pretty good source within the organization. I first brought up Mientkiewicz as a managerial candidate in mid-September and reiterated my support for him last week, so I'd be pleased if they're indeed leaning in his direction. I'd also be extremely surprised, because he'd be a pretty unconventional choice. * Then again, La Velle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune tweeted later on Friday that Molitor "has had multiple interviews with the Twins." If that's true, it's hard not to view the Hall of Famer as clear front-runner. Multiple meetings within a week -- especially when they've only publicly interviewed one other candidate -- suggests aggressive interest. Of course, I believe that Molitor's real interview to be the next manager was the entire 2014 season. Some believe that was implied when he was added to Gardenhire's staff as a seventh coach. He's been in the dugout and in the clubhouse all year, so I think Twins execs have a decent idea of what to expect from him at this point. * Just because Molitor and Mientkiewicz are drawing the early press, we shouldn't assume this is a two-horse race. Jim Mandelaro, who covers the Rochester Red Wings for the Democrat & Chronicle, wrote the following last week: Glynn, like Mientkiewicz, has done an impressive job of turning around a struggling minor-league affiliate, and he worked as a scout for the exemplary Rays in the six years prior to taking over in Rochester. For those reasons, and others, I think he's one of the more intriguing names to be considered, but I wonder if the Twins would view him as a tough sell. He doesn't offer fans the familiarity of a Molitor or Mientkiewicz, nor does he offer the novelty of a name hired from outside the organization. Obviously I don't think the potential for a subdued public reaction should rule out a qualified candidate, but I do wonder how heavily that's being weighed given the waning fan interest. * What about external candidates? Terry Ryan gave his assurance that the team would be casting a wide net in its search for Gardy's replacement, and explicitly stated that they'd look outside the organization as well as within. But we've heard little buzz so far about outside names. Well, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review did report on Sunday that John Russell is expected to interview for the position. Russell (pictured above with former Twin J.J. Hardy) has served as bench coach for the Orioles since 2011, and was manager of the Pirates from 2008 through 2010. He compiled an ugly 186-299 record in his three seasons there, including a 105-loss campaign that led to his removal. Working with catchers is considered to be a speciality for Russell. That could appeal to the Twins, who will be working to determine Joe Mauer's long-term successor behind the plate. The Twins would need to wait for Baltimore's postseason run to end before they can interview Russell. That run will continue for now, after the O's completed a first-round sweep of the Tigers on Sunday. * Stay tuned to Twins Daily all week for the latest news on the Twins' manager search. We'll be on top of each new rumor as it develops. Click here to view the article