ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- After the dust had settled following Terry Francona's departure last October, the clamoring began. People in Boston wanted Joe Maddon to become the Red Sox' next manager.

That, however, never was a realistic possibility, and won't be a realistic possibility any time soon. Maddon had another year left on his contract, forcing the Red Sox to make their own managerial move. And then the Rays' manager put up a roadblock for any future conversation by signing a three-year extension with Tampa Bay.

"I am happy I signed the extension, which meant the Rays wanted me," Maddon said prior to his team's series-opening loss to the Red Sox Monday night. "I think it's very complimentary (regarding the Red Sox' fans' interest), but I don't keep track of it and I let it go. I don't dwell on those kind of thoughts."

Fans then looked for the next-best Maddon alternative, which was believed to be the Rays' bench coach, Dave Martinez. But, after some research, the Red Sox didn't deem Martinez a good enough fit to even bring him in for an interview.

But the quest for the Rays' way (or at least a semblance of it) might not be totally extinct when looking at future Red Sox managerial moves. There is still Tim Bogar.

There is a reason the Astros are following up interviews with Martinez, Bo Porter and Larry Bowa by talking with Bogar this week in the Tampa Bay area about Houston's vacant managerial position. 

"He's very bright, he understands the game well. He's very good with people, too," said Maddon, who oversaw Bogar as the Rays' quality assurance coach in 2008. "He communicates well. Primarily, with me, the job requires the ability to unify a group or communicate, or develop trust, or however you want to put it. Those are the key ingredients as far as coming on as a first-time manager in a situation like that in Houston, which is very similar to what we went through here in Tampa Bay several years ago.

"From a distance everybody will look at how he runs a game and everything. But the important thing is how is he going to bring a group of people together. Do the philosophies closely align with the front office? Those are the kind of things that matter, especially in that situation. I think Davey is that kind of guy, and I think Bogie is that kind of guy. They have the ability to communicate and set up a program and morph into the managerial component on the field."

The perception of Bogar among some Red Sox followers isn't what it should be.

He weathered life as the team's third base coach under Francona prior to serving as Bobby Valentine's bench coach during what has been an uneasy 2012 campaign.

But, according to Maddon, in many ways, the recent experiences have put the 45-year-old in an even better position to succeed than when Bogar interviewed for the Blue Jays' and Astros' jobs prior to the '11 season.

"I always believe that you learn best from your bad moments, from the negative situations that you've been involved in because a lot of times you learn what not to do, and that can be as valuable as what to do," the Rays manager said. "I know I went through some difficult moments with the Angels. I went through some tough times, and I learned a lot from those tough times. … A lot. And it went a long way towards preventing that from happening again."

Bogar has seen what worked with Francona, while living a very different existence at the side of Valentine in the duo's only season together. And then there is the Maddon Way.

It was only one year, but '08 clearly left an impression on Bogar (as did managing in the minor leagues in the Indians organization). The methods and madness of Maddon still linger, both with the coach and those who still long for the Red Sox to harness such an approach.

"There's a consistency about I think when I walk in the door, and there's a consistency about how the coaches walk in the door," said Maddon regarding his managerial philosophy. "If we have any problems, we jump on them quickly and no one ever knows about them, hopefully, except us. You don't run away from conflict in a sense among the group. You confront it. You find out what's wrong, you try to fix it, and then you move on. I think that's what we do."

Put it this way: When it comes to Maddon, there are no beer bans, but there are Volstead Act references.

"I don't have any rules. I don't have any rules, except to run hard to first base," he said. "And I want our pitchers to work on their defense. Those are my two rules. Of course, be on time, the typical stuff. I think they appreciate it.

"The one thing I've talked about, I don't even know how to develop this thought entirely, but I think there's a lot of discipline to be derived from freedom. If you treat people and men like they like to be treated, you're going to get a lot of discipline that you're not even asking for, because they like the way it's done. They like that they're being trusted to do the right things. When you give them that kind of latitude, God bless, you get so much more in return. Now you can't do that with a bunch of fifth graders of course. But talking about young professionals, I'd like to believe you could do that with a professional group and get more back than you're asking for. 

"Now a seventh grade teacher can't do that. That's not my point. I'm talking about a progressional moment, whether it's a baseball team or a law firm. Wherever there's a professionalism involved, it can be done, I think."

Between the Rays' method, and what Bogar has absorbed about the rights and wrongs with the Red Sox, it would seem to be a solid combination, as the Astros' interest underscores.