Well, that was fast. Just seconds after the Cleveland Indians fired manager Manny Acta and named bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. as interim manager for the season's final six games, speculation began that former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona might be interested in the position.

Friday afternoon -- a mere 24 hours after the firing -- Francona confirmed his interest, and so did the Tribe:

Terry Francona has indeed spoken with GM Chris Antonetti about Indians' managing job. He plans on coming in to interview at some point.

— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 28, 2012

So, now it's out in the open. No rumors or speculation necessary. Francona has finished his first season behind the microphone for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball -- there's no telecast this Sunday -- so presumably, he's completely free to talk to any team about their field-boss position (and can you imagine the conversation this Sunday if there had been a telecast)?

So far, there are just two candidates for this job -- Francona and Alomar -- and the speed with which this confirmation/interview has been confirmed leads one to believe it won't be too long before this job will be filled.