Looking at the Game of Baseball from all ends of the Spectrum
No, really, he is. An IronPig. Us Cub fans probably have lost track of Ryno but heās quite busy trying to get used to his new setting and job as manager of the Phillies Triple-A Lehigh Valley (PA) IronPigs.
The local Lehigh Valley Live media outlet did a quick 5 question interview with Sandberg during late preseason. Ryno talks about his playing days, his aspirations and plans for the IronPigs
DonS, a long suffering fan of TBZ, emailed me a response to my article in favor of the Cubs hiring Mike Quade. He makes some good points against the hiring I’m posting it tonight. -tbz
I said the following the day Lou left: āLou leaving in mid-seasonā is the worst thing that could happen to the Cubs. What if the āInterim Flunkyā hits a hot streak? Now youāre stuck with him.
Is that exactly what happened?. Quade went 24-13 (that projects out to 105 wins in a full season). So now the Cubs think this guy is the answer.
The guys on WSCR think this is a great move. But keep in mind: Thatās a bunch of White Sox fans who hope the Cubs lose every game. Some endorsement, huh?
Nothing against Quade. But the guy spent 17 years in the Cub minor league system. In that time, I never heard him rumored to be a managerial candidate at the major league level, for the Cubs or for anybody else. Now, based on 37 games, he gets the job?
One More Thing: I said on the day of the hire, āIf I am Ryno, I am outta there.ā I heard yesterday that Ryno has left the Cub Organ-I-Zation. It sounds like he told Jim Hendry where he could stick his āGo back to Iowaā idea.
Seems obvious to me that the Cubs NEVER intend to hire him to be the manager. Itās not like they bypassed him for a proven manager, like Girardi or Torre. They had told him, āGo to the minor leagues, ride busses, work hard, ā¦ ā Something negative to Ryno must have happened in those four years.
Or maybe Jim Hendry is every bit the stumbling dunderhead that his critics think he is.
As the late Mike Royko often said, āI may be wrong, but I doubt it.ā
What to think about the hiring of Mike Quade?? Well, letās start with the detailsā¦ Heās getting a two-year contract from the Cubs with an option for 2013. At this point, no money considerations have been discussed.
I like the deal. Iāve been struggling to evaluate the move on its merits alone. As a natural born cynic, Iāve tried to distance myself from my perceptions of the Cubsā potential motives of hiring Ryne Sandberg (should they have done so). Letās face it, Ryno has proven himself as manager in minors the last few years. Hiring him would have been more than just a public relations move as Iāve insinuated to my friends. Honestly, Sandberg wouldnāt have been a bad choice at all.
But when it came down to it, I favored hiring Mike Quade as manager of the Cubs and now that the deal is done, I still like it. Forget the 24-13 record he posted at the end of 2010, the 53-year old Evanston, IL native has the goods without it. Quade has experience. Heās managed a prolific 2,378 games in the minors. But more importantly, he has a reputation of possessing strong leadership skills and being a good on-the-field manager, all which comes with experience.
Earlier, I said forget Quadeās 24-13 run with the Cubs in 2010. But maybe donāt dismiss it completely. The Cub players responded quite well to Quadeās leadership and even said so to the press. The cynics among us have said that perhaps it was more the lack of Piniella that players were responding to and that is a point well taken. Yet, no one can dismiss the support that he got both implicitly and explicitly.
What does Cub Nation think about the Quade hiring?? If you take Bleed Cubbie Blueās vast readership as any indication, you can check out its poll on the hiring of Quade. BCB readers support itā¦ kinda. A whopping 38% supported the hiring of Quade while 19% didnāt (41% didnāt really have an opinion. An indecisive bunch, these Cub fans).
A few questions remain:
At any rate, I wish Mike Quade well. Heās (officially) stepping into some big shoes and doesnāt have an easy row to hoe in 2011.
Cubs minor league manager and uber-legend Ryne Sandberg came out publicly in support of re-instating Pete Rose back into baseball. He went as far as to say he wouldnāt mind having him on his coaching staff.
I know Sandberg is just talking out his āss but who knows? And with rumors of re-instatement surfacing once again, Pete might remember those words.
And unless things change for Sandberg, that would make Pete Rose a Cub.
Generally, Iām favor of re-instating Pete Rose back into baseball but Iām not THAT ready.
Looks like that the Cubs are playing musical chairs with their minor league staff. Mostly precipitated by the promotion of Pat Listach from Cubs triple-A team in Iowa to a coaching position for the Washington Nationals big league club.
Ryne Sandberg who has been at the helm for the Peoria Chiefs will move up a notch and manage the double-A team, the Tennessee Smokies. This will be a bit of a change for Ryno as he will play under NL rules for half the season. that will be a first for him.
Meanwhile, former Smokies infield and bunting coach Bobby Dickerson will take over for Listach at Iowa.
So who’s going to manage the Peoria Chiefs? Marty Pevey, who comes to the Cubs from the Toronto Blue Jay organization. He’s bounced up and down from minor league manager role to the Blue Jay coach (most recently in the first base coach role). His big claim to fame so far is being awarded the Florida State League Manager of the Year when Dunedin went 84-54. Currently, Pevey has a minor league manager record of 541-510.
Carrie Muskat has the whole list of minor league staff moves at mlb.com.
For those in the area, plan your trip to see the Peoria Chiefs this year. The Chiefs, who are the Chicago Cubs single A affiliate, have already come out with the promotion schedule including all-you-can-eat hot dog nights (I know a few people who could give them a run for their money), free Joe Girardi t-shirts, and the headliner, in my opinion:
“Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter headlines the special guests at OāBrien Field this season as the VIP guest for the annual Legends at the Ballpark night with IPMR on Saturday June 14. Sutter was a closer for the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves amassing 300 saves from 1976-1988 and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006. He and Chiefs Manager Ryne Sandberg had a memorable matchup in July 1984 when Sandberg tied the game twice with homers off Sutter on national TV at Wrigley Field.”
I think most Cubs fans who were around back then remember that game.
I planned to go see the Chiefs after having team broadcaster Nathan Baliva on our podcast last year but just never got around to it. I’ll have to make good on that this year. The Chiefs home season starts April 7 and single game tickets go on sale Monday.