MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Twins coaches Paul Molitor and Ron Gardenhire have spoken with general manager Terry Ryan about their interest in succeeding Tom Kelly as manager.

Ryan interviewed Gardenhire, a coach on Kelly's staff the past six seasons, on Sunday. He also asked Molitor, a Twins coach the past two years, to consider applying for the opening.

Gardenhire, a successful minor-league manager who spent the past three years as the Twins' third-base coach, said his interview was two or three hours long. He said he wasn't told what the next step would be, how many others would be interviewed, or what Ryan's timetable is for filling the position.

"It was pretty laid-back and a nice conversation," said Gardenhire, who managed the Twins to a 6-4 record during a midseason stretch in 2000 when Kelly took a break to tend to his ailing father. "We talked about baseball, talked about the Twins, went through a lot of different things. Terry knows me, and I know him pretty well, too, so it's not like you're trying to find out who a guy is."

Molitor said he expected to get back to Ryan early in the week with an answer.

"If I'm going to be on the list, I want to be sure I'm 100 percent ready to go in terms of my desire," said Molitor, who retired as a player after the 1998 season and has never managed.

Molitor said he won't be a cause for delay.

"I told him I'd be very respectful of his desire to be prompt," he said. "It seems like he'd like to do this sooner than later."

Ryan has said he intends to conduct a thorough search for Kelly's replacement, including outside candidates. For one thing, Major League Baseball requires that minority candidates be considered for every managerial opening, and none of the leading in-house candidates are minorities.

At least two potential outside candidates, New York Yankees third-base coach Willie Randolph and Cleveland third-base coach Joel Skinner, are still involved in the playoffs, which might affect how quickly Ryan can complete the process. Former Montreal manager Felipe Alou also has been mentioned as a potential candidate.

A third member of the Twins' staff, hitting coach Scott Ullger, also has indicated interest but said Sunday he had not been contacted by Ryan.

"I'd like to think I'd be getting an interview," said Ullger, chosen the Pacific Coast League's outstanding manager and best managing prospect in baseball by Baseball America after leading the Twins' Portland affiliate to first-place finishes in both halves of the 1993 season. Also chosen California League manager of the year in 1990, Ullger joined the Twins' staff in 1995.

Ullger said he probably would call Ryan early this week, "to see what's going on or just to chat," if he hasn't heard from Ryan by then.