By Paul SullivanThe search for Lou Piniella's replacement has begun. Cubs GM Jim Hendry confirmed he had dinner with former Indians manager Eric Wedge last night and spent all day with him today for an interview.
Wedge is the first known candidate to be interviewed.
Wedge managed the Indians from 2003-09, winning the American League Manager of the Year Award in 2007, when he guided the Indians to the ALCS, only to lose to the Boston Red Sox after going up 3-1. He was fired after the 2009 season.
On Tuesday, the Tribune reported that the "BSquared Show" at 312sports.com, which covers the Cubs minor league system, said the Cubs would interview Wedge.
Other candidates for the Cubs job include interim manager Mike Quade; Iowa Cubs managers Ryne Sandberg; former Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez; Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly; Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Nationals coach and former Cubs minor league manager Pat Listach, who also interviewed for the job in 2006.
Photo: Eric Wedge in 2007. (AP / Tony Dejak)
Ricketts thinks that hendry is the guy to save this team. If he truly believes this, I have a few bridges I want to sell this turd. Letting and allowing Henrdy to even conduct this search is maddening enough, but seriously, how in thehell is he going to clean up this mess he caused? Just that alone I would have fired him! Like I said, Ricketts is the little frat boy with the keys to the kingdom and then gets crunched by the drawbridge. What doofuses these 2 are.
Plaese NO Torre --just like LOU.. PLease no.. Im tired of DULL, sit on my A$$ managers and hope.!!
Brenly, Girardi, or Valebtine.. Is Billy Martin rest his soul we need you..
1. I know the difference between sucking and being great is not playing Tyler Colvin the first two months. If Lou had played Colvin from the start, the Cubs would be right in the thick of the division race and I guarantee that Colvin would be hitting .350 with 37 homers by now.
2. Only if Esmalian Caridad or Justin Berg are not available. How Lou managed to resist using such great pitchers like them I'll never know.
3. If I've got Wellington Castillo hitting .251 at AAA you'd better believe I'd play him. Every smart baseball guy knows that young + playing time = future all-star. Even if his numbers suck, if he's under 25 all you have to do is play him and voila, all-star in the making. I've never seen a player under 25 get regular playing time and not become an all-star, have you?
4. Absolutely not. In fact, on Opening Day I will put all the players to the test. I will bench all the starters and bat all the reserves in unusual spots. If anyone says a word, I will know they aren't team players and I will bench them for the entire season. Let them know I am in charge and they are just pawns in my game!
5. It makes no sense to keep on batting the first baseman third, especially considering all the great hitters the Cubs have. Why keep on batting Nady third, when you've got Jeff Baker and Darwin Barney on the bench. Put either one of them hitting third and I guarantee you've got the first player since Ted Williams to hit .400 for a season.
6. Yes.
7. Isn't that the thing they would do with Mark Prior like five years ago? Oh, I get it. You're testing me on my history of the team. I mean, no one has mentioned the phrase "towel drill" for several years now, so you must be asking me just to see how well I know the history of the team. Maybe you should ask me a tougher one, like am I familiar with the College of Coaches? Now that's a tough one!
8. Well, if we suck then I will. Of course I know I am not the one in charge of determining if we are "sellers" or not, that's your job. But then I should have to tell you that, right. But you know what would be a good trick. Announcing that we are sellers in June, but then not making an actual trade until two days before the deadline. You know, like what happened this year. But I don't really remember you actually announcing to anyone that you were sellers in June. But you're the boss, so I'm sure if you say so then you must have do so.
So, do I have the job?
How about Crane Kenney?
He feels that he knows baseball!
How much worse can it be???
>> the masses will turn on Hendry in a heartbeat <<
Love this guy's comment.
What cave has he been hiding out in???
Wedge?
What's Jim Frey doing these days?
A possible Cubs manager interview:
1. You aren't in a hurry to play Tyler Colvin, are you? He just can't hit as well as the superstars that we like to usually play.
2. Will you pitch John Grabow every time the game is on the line?
3. If Soto gets hurt, will you play Koyie Hill for 20 days in a row, even if we have a young catcher to take a look at and even if Hill is batting under .200?
4. Are you ok with the players telling you where they should bat?
5. Speaking of batting orders, the first baseman's position is #3 on the scorecard, so you do know that the first baseman in your line-up has to bat third, right?
6. Do you need some more tickets for your friends before we sell all of the remaining good seats to the scalpers?
7. Are you familiar with our "towel drills"?
8. Will you announce your team as "sellers" in mid-June if you're only 7 games back at that point?
Wedge is a dummy who had cliff lee throwing 125 pitches with 9-0 leads while 20 games out of first in 2008. we've had enough of that kind of stupidity with baker and piniella. quade seems to understand pitch counts better than the $3.5 million/year managers that preceded him.
Why I am hiring the next Cubs manager? Why do I still have a job? Who's on second?
Why in the world is Hendry still the GM? He's the one responsible for the hopeless situation the Cubs are in.
People are saying stuff like "Girardi would be nuts to leave New York." That's true, but who says that the choice for him to stay or leave will be his to make? In most cases, winning the World Series would make your job safe for several years (see Guillen, Ozzie). However, in New York failing to win it all combined with media scrutiny can make that post-World Series honeymoon a short one. If the Yankees collapse and miss the playoffs, or if the pull a 2008 Cubs and quickly exit the post-season, do you honestly think that New York will say, "That's okay Joe. Now here, sign this three year contact extension."
I don't think Girardi will leave unless New York shows him the door. It would probably be best for him to stay in New York, as long as they will let him, for a few more years and see what happens with the next Cubs manager. Then three or four years down the line, if the next Cubs manager doesn't work out, Girardi can feel better about leaving to take the Cubs challenge. After all, by then he'll probably have another ring or two and be ready for the challenge no one has been able to master since Frank Chance.
Girardi may be a fan favorite, but he's no dum-my. Why would he leave NY for this mess?
Sandberg shouldn't be promoted to manager just because the fans clamor for him. They should hire a guy like Torre for a couple of years, with the understanding that Sandberg learn under him.
Girardi may be a fan favorite, but he's no dum-my. Why would he leave NY for this mess?
Sullivan did not list Brenly because the Cubs have not officially named Brenly as a candidate for 2011. And Sullivan never says anything bad about the Cubs because he is a beat writer for the Cubs and not an columnist. A beat writer writes about news on the team while a columnist writes a column that inject his or her own opinion on the news. So, as beat writer for the Cubs, it is not Sullivan's job to say anything bad or good about the Cubs, just the news. And if all you're looking for is negative talk about the Cubs, then I suggest you seek out the 1,000 or so blogs out there that have done nothing but bash Lou, Hendry, Soriano, et al. for the past few years. They aren't that hard to find!
Hey Sullivan start putting Brenly's name in your lists..He better than all you mention including Sandberg
Sullivan you are a bum reporter that never says anything bad about the cubs
No, no, a thousand times no! The way I figure it, if anyone is brought in from outside the organization (besides Girardi who is already a fan favorite) the masses will turn on Hendry in a heartbeat.