The Cubs will have a new manager in 2012, but it won't be Ryne Sandberg. Here are some links for Wednesday, as Cubs fans imagine their longtime second baseman in a Cardinals uniform…
- The Cubs aren't focused on former Red Sox skipper Terry Francona and aren't likely to pursue a current manager, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein reached out to Sandberg to explain why he's not being considered for the managerial job, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (on Twitter).
- GM Jed Hoyer suggested the Cubs will spend some time rebuilding their pitching staff, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Long before he was a Major League GM, Hoyer was a skilled fantasy baseball player, according to the Sun-Times. Hoyer excelled in fantasy leagues as a youngster, even against adult professionals. For fantasy news on relief pitchers, check out CloserNews.com.
- On a related note, Hoyer says he expects Carlos Marmol to close next year, according to Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune.
- Epstein, Hoyer and the rest of the front office are a team, but the GM remains impressed by Epstein's ability. "When he turns it on, it's pretty clear he has a gear the rest of us don't have," Hoyer said, according to Sullivan.
- Former Cubs GM Jim Hendry graciously said the team hit a "home run" by hiring Epstein, according to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com. "Tom Ricketts did the city of Chicago and the Cubs organization a great service by hiring Theo," Hendry said. The former GM hasn't ruled out returning to the game, but he's enjoying some time off for now. Hoyer said he's looking forward to reaching out to Hendry, according to Sullivan.
- The Cubs don't have to pay Aramis Ramirez's $2MM buyout, since he declined his side of his contract option for 2012, according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat.
Ricketts also did the city of Chicago a great service by firing Hendry.
Hendry is a class act. He may not have been the greatest GM, but hes a good guy. I would like to see the Cubs bring him back in some capacity. Hes got baseball talent, just needs to be used the right way.
I want to second that cubsfan…since Ricketts fired Hendry, he has been nothing but a class act. His connections and knowledge of people shouldn’t be wasted, but for the love of god, don’t let him near a player or their salary..haha
Very true, how many people would get fired but stay on to help their employer for a month after.
It’s a long long long long road for me to like Epstein, but he just won his first point just for the simple fact he called Sandberg right away and communicated his thoughts. He didn’t make the obvious decision (or fan favorite) to even consider or speak about Sandberg as the manager. Something for as far as I can remember he never did in Boston. He gave the fans what they always wanted in Boston which is why I consistently always questioned him. Good, maybe he’ll make his own decisions from here on out and actually do what he knows how to do.
I don’t know that I agree with you. I’m not necessarily for hiring Sandberg just because he’s a fan favorite. I want him because he’s got a lot of experience in the Cubs’ organization and has a proven record of success managing at that level.
To be fair, though, I thought they should have let him manage after Lou retired and kept Alan Trammell at bench coach. Trammell’s got a good head on his shoulders and would have made a good chief advisor to a rookie manager like Sandberg. The Cubs still would have come in 3rd, 4th, or 5th, so it doesn’t really matter, but even so, it would have been nice for him to start getting the experience. No one starts out perfect.
Fair enough, maybe I should clarify the point I was making. Sandberg is very intelligent and has enough experience to be a solid presence for most teams. My point is more about Epstein than Sandberg. I’m just impressed that he addressed this right away instead of dragging out the search only to have fans express their admiration for 2 months, Epstein choose Sandberg (which would not have been his choice) and it backfires. Basically Epstein will do his thing and if you haven;t followed the Sox enough, I’m not really even sure anymore if any decision he ever made there wasn’t influenced by ownership or the fans (who most couldn’t run a 7/eleven).
On another note, I finally watched the Steve Bartman 30 on 30 special today (yeah a few months late). Epstein would be justified in calling the guy up and giving him a nice seat for the season or something. Has anyone ever done something for the kid? I’ve seen some f’d up stuff at Yankee stadium, but I actually shed a tear when watching the special.
Any thoughts on who the Cubs will Target? Bob Brenly? Mike Hargrove? Dave Martinez?
Svuem, Hale, Maddux, and Martinez are the main options in my opinion.
I hope it’s not Brenly or Hargrove. Brenly never was any good and Hargrove’s sun set ten years ago. Martinez would be interesting but Theo says he wants major league experience and I don’t know if being a bench coach counts.
I really hope we don’t end up with some retread…..
Apparently Ricketts is all about spending money on guys that don’t play so maybe we can back up a truck load of money to Scioscia and call it a day.
hendry reagins minaya and ricciardi
all to baltimore
Baltimore Wins World Series
Universe implodes