Ryne Sandberg One Step Away From The Big Show

Ryne Sandberg has received yet another promotion to Triple A Iowa. And luckily for Ryan Theriot, it is not to eventually take his second base job.

Sandberg, who could teach Theriot a thing or two about how to correctly throw a ball to a Gold Glove caliber first baseman, will manage the Triple A Iowa Cubs.  And that has fans of Chicago's Cubs giggly over the idea of their Hall of Fame second baseman managing the team in 2011.  Seems like a grand idea, right?

Not so fast, my friend.

Are the Cubs really ready to make that next step?  I think not.  I've been informed many times about hot prospects rapidly going through the minor league system only to see Brooks Kieschnick, Kevin Orie, Corey Patterson and others fail miserably once they step foot within Wrigley Field's ivy covered walls.

The last thing Cubs fans (or the organization itself) needs is a manager to do just that.

On the other hand, I like that Sandberg is climbing up the ranks of the organization.  With Tom Ricketts looking to save money anywhere he can, having Sandberg could allow the Cubs to save some money on a few fronts.

They would probably not have to pay Sandberg upward of $3 million to manage the club, as they currently do for Piniella.  Also, I'll assume the Cubs would like to save a few bucks by promoting talent from within, and no one should know the minor league talent in the organization like the guy who has managed at each level of the organization.

So, where does that leave Lou?
The odd man out?

Hopefully not.

It is apparent that Cubs fans have taken Piniella for granted.  Since coming to Chicago, the Cubs have posted a 265-219 record.  Did last year's 83-78 record suck?  Fuck and yes.  But it was much better than the third season's of Dusty Baker, Don Baylor and Jim Riggleman.

Those three represent the last three full-time managers that came before Piniella.  In their third season with the Cubs, the trio combined to win 181 games and lose 226 games.  That's a whopping .447 winning percentage.

Makes Piniella look like Frank Chance, doesn't it?

If anything, Piniella should be given a key to the city for leading a team that featured three middle infielders not tall enough to ride a roller coaster at Great America to 83 (bleeping) wins.

Should the Cubs have won more than 83 games in 2009?  Again.  Fuck and yes.  Especially with a $140 million payroll.  But it was not as if Piniella handed out a bunch of back-loaded contracts, hamstringing a franchise in years where game-changing free agents hit the market.

My suggestion?  Hire Piniella to run the player personnel department.  If the Ricketts family likes Jim Hendry so much, they can go the John McDonough route and give him a cushy office job with a lengthy title and little responsibility.

While Piniella looked like he was out of touch with the new era of baseball, the man can still judge talent

He had the foresight to call-up Geovany Soto at the end of the 2007 year and let him win the starting catcher's job in 2008.  He sent Michael Barrett and Cesar Izturis to the end of the bench, and hid Jason Marquis in big-game situations.  Piniella was the mastermind behind moving Ryan Dempster from the bullpen to the rotation, while moving Carlos Marmol and Angel Guzman from the rotation to the bullpen.

Was he slow in moving Alfonso Soriano down in the order?  Of course.  But it was Hendry who signed him to be the lead-off man.  If he wanted a middle-of-the-order hitter, maybe Hendry should have signed Carlos Lee instead.  Did Piniella drop the ball on finding playing time for Jake Fox?  Yeah.  But Fox oftentimes dropped balls when he was playing in the outfield.  That's why he'll be a fine designated hitter in Oakland.

Am I surprised Cubs fans want to send Sweet Uncle Lou and his .548 winning percentage (highest winning percentage of all the team's he has managed, mind you) packing to a Florida retirement home?  No.  This is the same fan base that pined for Hee Seop Choi's return after Derrek Lee's slow start in April 2004, and advocated starting Micah Hoffpauir at first after a sluggish beginning by Lee in 2009.

But, hey.  At least we're not Cardinals fans.

Why Ryne Sandberg Is The Answer

For once, Phil Rogers has written something that does not make me want to throw up.

I approached this subject with Dave Duncan and am ready to do so with Ryne Sandberg.

I've never been a fan of former star players becoming coaches and managers -- mostly because it rarely works out.  But Ryno seems to be different.  He holds several intangibles that make me think he might be the perfect successor once Lou Piniella hangs up his managerial thinking cap.

And here's why.

He knows the youngsters

Stops at A-ball and AA have given Sandberg a glimpse of what is coming down the pipeline for the North Side Nine.  When the contracts of Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Carlos Zambrano and Ryan Dempster expire, there might not be anyone in the organization equipped with more knowledge than the guy who once managed the players who are scheduled to get the call to the big club in the near future.

He's paying his dues

A lot can be said for someone who is willing to live like a scrub because he loves the game.  It would be easy for Sandberg to travel via a separate car or charter flights, but Sandberg has yet to give in to his mega-star status.  Could you imagine Michael Jordan in a vehicle that amounts to being a small upgrade to a school bus traveling with guys who combined still wouldn't hold one-tenth of the talent Jordan had in his weakest moments.

Well, that's what the Hall of Fame second baseman is going through right now.

A breath of fresh air

When the Cubs wore thin on Dusty Baker's act, Lou Piniella was brought in to shuffle some things around and ruffle some feathers.  The Cubs were introduced to the concept of taking pitches, on-base percentage and not allowing players such as Cesar Izturis play everyday.

Now, it's Piniella's act that seems to be wearing out its welcome in Chicago.  And unlike Sweet Uncle Lou, Sandberg will never confuse the North and South sides of Chicago.  Nor will he ever refer to the "ivory" in right field.  But hopefully, he will oversee a team that will have fans singing "Go Cubs, Win" deep into October for many years to come.

Better Late Than Never: Happy Anniversary To The Day That Won Ryne Sandberg The 1984 NL MVP Award

Reaganomics ruled and Michael Jordan was a Bull for only a week, but on June 23, 1984, the world belonged to Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg.

Sandberg entered the game with a .321 batting average, .371 on-base percentage, .531 slugging percentage and a .902 OPS. Numbers that any player, let alone a second baseman, would have wet dreams about finishing with.

After June 23, Ryno left Wrigley Field batting .332, on-basing .380, slugging .558 and OPSing .938. Yeah, a 5-for-6 game with 2 runs scored and 7 runs batted in will do that for you. Yes, everyone remembers the two home runs, and why not? Both were game-tying home runs off Bruce Sutter, a former Cub, and, at the time, the world's greatest closer. The second homer, of course, came as NBC was rolling the closing credits on the Cubs' comeback.

All of this coming against the arch-rival Cardinals in the heat of a summer pennant race, which certified the Cubs and contenders, cemented what ended up being MVP season for Sandberg and provided his career with that one game you set a soundtrack to and remind your "associates" that happen to be Joe Morgan apologists they can go shove it.

June 23 is celebrated as "The Sandberg Game" in Chicago. In St. Louis, it is known as the "We Still Have More World Series Than You" game. And how did Sandberg celebrate today? By putting his stamp of disapproval on Sammy Sosa's Hall of Fame credentials.

And no, I don't want to know how Rafael Palmeiro celebrated, either

Wrigley Packs 30K And The Cubs Ain't Even There

More than 30,000 fans filed into Wrigley Field on Tuesday night to see minor leaguers. That's really not news because that was what the Cub fans were treated to during the Andrew B. MacFailure era.

However, this time was different. Hall Of Famer Ryne Sandberg returned home to manage the Peoria Chiefs against the Kane County Cougars in the inaugural "Road To Wrigley" game.

Sandberg is in his second year as the head Chief, gaining managerial experience on a daily basis as he prepares to eventually take over the Cubs whenever Lou Piniella decides to call it a career. And if you're expecting the mild-mannered Ryno, you're wrong.

No, he wasn't a part of the Dayton-Peoria fiasco, but Sandberg has been described as feisty and has been thrown out of numerous games in his brief managerial career.

Do the Cubs have a Lou Jr. waiting in the wings? Who knows, but the bigger question is whether the Chicago media could handle blow ups by Sandberg and Ozzie Guillen on the same day or even in the same game.