The Cubs' Manager In 2012 Should Be...

I don’t know how burned out he is. Those with inside information know the real story behind that. Based on credentials, Francona would be the best hire. He’s managed 2 world championship teams. He should know something about being a Cub because he was one in 1986. From afar, I’d say Francona would be the best choice. I don’t know how interested he is in the position.

since it might be applicable here:
Francona, from all that he’s said, sounds like he would love to manage next year and is hoping to. He really did great things here in Boston, and might be a nice change for the players after the very-different management approach the Cubs have seemed to have the last few years. That said, there were reports that apparently the front office was sending lineups down for Francona to use the last few weeks, which didn’t show a ton of faith in him from Theo and, understandably, didn’t make Francona too happy. I’m doubting that he joins just because it seemed like there was some lack of trust there between him and Theo at the end.

Hale is almost certainly not going to be the Red Sox manager. By all accounts, they want a real outside perspective, and Hale wouldn’t fit that bill. That said, by all accounts I’ve read, there’s a general belief that he would make a great manager, and would probably be a good choice.

As a Sox fan, Martinez is at the top of my personal list of manager candidates. That’s one candidate I can see both teams interested in.

When Valentine went on that 20 minute rant about Castro, all I could think was that he reallllly wanted that job. Personally, I would love it if someone would hire him so that I wouldn’t have to watch him on ESPN.

To me, Sandberg just makes too much sense to not be the next Cubs manager. How awesome would that be for you guys if he could come in and bring the next championship?

…possibly, my all-time favorite athlete.

That being said though, I’m extremely leery about him being named manager. First off, I can’t help wondering why a guy like Sandberg, who’s been “paying his dues” for years now, has never gotten a chance on the major league level-are there negatives about him that we’re not necessarily aware of?

Second, no matter how you spin it, this will come off, to an extent, as a “warm and fuzzy” move to placate an angry, restless fan base. I’m kind of hoping that the new regime won’t fall prey to that kind of thing.

Third-honestly, how often does a move like this…giving a franchise icon a shot at the helm, actually work out? I know some will say that this is an “apples and oranges” comparison, but I still think can’t help thinking about a similar situation when the Blackhawks hired Denis Savard several years ago-it was a move that was greeted by most fans but turned out to be a mistake, It wasn’t until they moved on to Queneville that the Hawks took the final steps toward the Cup.

It really seems though that moves like this VERY rarely work out and I really hate the thought of Sandberg possibly flaming out and having to be fired.

Theo will need someone who has the experiences of playing at Wrigley and knowing the culture that has worked, and more importantly, not worked. Theo needs a voice that will say you just can’t go that way all the time with Chicago weather and this is how to play the game the right way. I think the hall of fame speech was his interview. I found it amusing that the plan Theo laid out about playing the game the right way was very similar to Ryno’s speech at the hall of fame. Maybe that was said to match his new manager’s philosophy???

and I say, “the people who need to get this through their heads are the managers themselves”.

I don’t care if the next manager is a veteran skipper or a newbie. I just want someone who doesn’t manage by rote, obsessing over righty-lefty matchups and outclevering himself with double-switches. I don’t want a guy who uses faulty logic to give guys playing time based on “the pitchers like him” and “he knows the ballpark” and “he’s a veteran who’s earned the right to start”. Like I said at the start, I don’t want a guy with an overinflated sense of himself either.

I want a manager who plays guys based on performance and who gets all 25 players pulling in the same direction. Oh, and who doesn’t believe walks clog the bases.

… he exhibits everything as a ML manager that he valued as a player and highlighted in his HoF speech. Everything he’s done, everything he says, everything he exudes is all about his key word from the 7/31/2005 speech: Respect.

I wasn’t sold on Epstein as president until the press conference yesterday and the subsequent interviews. Listening closely to what Epstein wants in the organization points clearly to Sandberg as a manager.

I don’t care who it is so long as it’s not Quade?

I do think, though, that 2012 looks like a tough year as well, though at least the trend line will be moving up instead of bouncing along the bottom like this past season.

What I hope I don’t see if Sandberg is chosen is the crowd (especially the crowd here) screaming for his head if the Cubs are a sub-.500 team again. It’s very possible next year will be rather flat, just given the unlikelihood of massive player personnel changes over the next few months.

What I do think a selection of Sandberg will have in its favor is this: It will be a bridge between one of the true highlights of Cubs seasons past and a hopeful future, as well as a clear sign that ownership and management want to put a winning (and respected) team on the field, and do it the right way – by building, not buying. Buying, as we saw, didn’t really work for us, and it rarely does.

So yes, Ryne Sandberg, and for some very good reasons.

GETITDONETHEO!

He seems like a variation of the guys we’ve already had in here the last decade. If we’re going to go for a big change with President, GM, and head coach, make it a full-fledged change and give somebody fresh like Ryno a chance to wipe the slate clean.

but i’ve typed this comment 3 different times and it can always be construed as " he’s a former cub and thats why"….so no comment other than he’s earned it by the minor league coaching record.

For all the obvious reasons. Listening to Theo speak yesterday, it appears he still thinks very highly of him. He stressed it was important for the manager and GM to be in harmony. I can’t think of anybody better, in this case.

Plus, Tito is a former Cub. :)

I think I’ve come across here as Anti Ryno.

I had a very interesting conversation with my best friend last night. I think she pinpointed the real reason I don’t want him to be manager.

It’s not that I think he’d be bad, it’s just that it would be so crushing if he was bad.

I actually think he would be a good manager I’m just afraid of seeing him fail.

I have no attachment to Mike Quade. Watching him fail was painful because I’m a Cubs fan but it would have been 100 times worse if it was Sandberg to a lot of people including me.

I would like Sandberg and how about his old DP partner Bowa as bench coach?

Sandberg<cuddly

…but if Sandberg doesn’t fit Epstein’s vision going forward than we have to trust him to hire the right guy. But it’s all based on a philosophy, for the first time as Cubs fans we can say that this organization will now be built around a philosophy.

Dave Martinez 1
Ryne Sandberg 2

I do not know enough about Hale or Martinez to have an opinion about them, so I will stick to guys I am familiar with.

I would love to see Sandberg as the Cubs manager, but I have a feeling that Theo is not going to be the sentimental type. Sure, Sandberg has done a really good job in the minors, but so have a lot of guys. let’s be honest, the reason we want Sandberg is because we want Ryno back. I think he would be a good manager, but I do not see Theo giving him extra 80’s flashback bonus points. Valentine would be a great choice as well; his Mets teams (aside for a couple mediocre years) usually played pretty solid defense (something we suck at), and he would be a good teacher for the younger players. Again, though, I do not see Theo hiring him – probable personality issues. I have issues with Franconca as well (he has won a ton, but am kind of hoping he spends the next year fishing and relaxing), but think that if he really wants the job, there is a good chance he gets it – not based upon sentimentality, but just because Theo and Tito work well together.

Epstein just made a huge argument that ten years in one job in one organization is too long and that people get stale. He made a point about needing to get fresh perspective and to be challenged.

For Epstein to then team up with Francona again, that’s getting in the same stale loop he was in Boston. He’s not going to hire Francona. He wants someone new to work with.