| I fully realize that the Chicago Cubs is a franchise not known for its October success. I had foolishly believed that this was limited to on-the-field play. Jim Hendry, Cubs General Manager, and new owner Tom Ricketts proved today that these moronic moves can happen off the field, too. Today they announced that instead of hiring Hall-of-Famer and fan favorite Ryne Sandberg as the new manager, they opted for long-time minor league manager, Mike Quade. *sigh* Yes, Quade did manage to lead the Cubs to a respectable 24-13 record after Lou Piniella's retirement. Yes, Quade managed some 17 seasons and 2,378 games in the minors, which gives him ample experience, especially over the relative new-comer Sandberg with a mere 4 seasons under his belt. Yes, the players seem pleased with this decision. In certain aspects, I can somewhat understand this. Overall, I can't; here's why. - Excitement: Probably more than anything, the Cubs need to get their fans excited about the team again. Mike Quade simply doesn't do that. Ryne Sandberg would have. There is currently no real reason to believe that the 2011 Cubs will fare any better than their 75-87, 2010 counterparts. Hope abounds from Wrigleyville, but it's awfully difficult to feel excited about a team headed up by a long-time minor league guy.
- First Impression: This was the Ricketts' family's first big move with the club since they finalized the purchase of the team late last season. This one was more of a thud than a big splash.
- Morality: Sandberg applied for the Chicago Cubs Manager's job in 2006 after it was vacated by Dusty Baker. Rumor has it that Jim Hendry told him at the time that he simply wasn't experienced enough and offered him the manager's job for the Class-A Peoria Chiefs, where he stayed for two years. He then moved up to the Double-A Tennessee Smokies, then finally to the AAA Iowa Cubs. This is a Hall-of-Famer working his way back up through the minors to manage the team he played for virtually his entire career supposedly because you told him to if he wanted a shot. It's a dick move to turn your back on him now.
All this said, I am, of course, a Cub fan; I am nothing if not foolishly optimistic about this team year after year. The fact that the players were pretty pleased with the decision helps me out.However, it should be very interesting indeed to see what Ryno does from here. He openly expressed his disappointment with the Cubs' decision and, from the sounds of it, will be looking for a Major League gig elsewhere. This greatly concerns me. I think Sandberg has the makeup of a great manager in the making, so I'd hate for him to wind up somewhere else. I wish him well and hope the Cubs are able to keep him within the organization (Quade's bench coach spot is likely open), but after this snub (how else could he possibly take this?), I don't see that happening. It's days like these that I really hate being a Cubs fan. |
