Ryne Sandberg Returning To Cubs As 'Ambassador'

Ryne Sandberg never did get his dream job as Cubs manager. And his managing gig with the Phillies didn't end well -- with the Phillies in disarray, Ryno quit last summer (he'd likely have been fired at the end of the 2015 season, I think) with his managing record 119 wins and 159 losses.

According to Bruce Levine, Sandberg is going to return to the Cubs organization:

Chicago Cubs and Hall of fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg finalizing agreement on becoming a Cub ambassador .

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) January 14, 2016

Sandberg will appear at Cub convention . His duties are still be worked out as an ambassador. Sandberg lives in Chicago full time .

— Bruce Levine (@MLBBruceLevine) January 14, 2016

As noted, he'll appear at the Cubs Convention, which begins Friday evening, and likely make other appearances for the team. I suppose he could also wind up as a spring-training instructor or perhaps even a roving minor-league instructor. Despite his failures at the big-league managing level, he was highly regarded as a manager in the Cubs farm system from 2007 through 2010. In 2010 he was named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year while in his second year managing at Triple-A Iowa. Among the future big leaguers he managed that year were Darwin Barney, Welington Castillo, Justin Berg, Jeff Samardzija and Sam Fuld.

Sandberg was a Cub for his entire major-league career, save a few appearances for the Phillies in 1981 before the trade that winter that sent him to Chicago. He got his first big-league hit in Wrigley Field against the Cubs (his only hit as a Phillie) in the second game of a doubleheader September 27, 1981, the final Cubs home game that year.

Welcome home, Ryno.