Managing Cubs Still Sandberg's Dream

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 22, 2011 6:00PM

With Jim Hendry out of the Cubs' long term picture, the focus of the writers who cover the team now turn to who will replace Mike Quade as manager when this season blessedly ends for the Chicago National League Ballclub.

Today happens to be the one-year anniversary of Lou Piniella's retirement. Paul Sullivan, writing in the Tribune, reflects on that milestone cites sources in saying Sandberg is open to interviewing again for the Cubs manager job.

At this point, managing the Cubs is the white whale to Sandberg's Ahab and his obvious desire for the job is reaching the levels of Ron Santo's lust for induction in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But Sandberg's minor league managerial record (including his current 73-57 record with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs) indicates a manager that has learned, and succeeded, on the job. He also left the organization on good terms with Tom Ricketts and the Ricketts family. Ricketts spoke at length Friday of wanting to change the culture at Clark and Addison but he also said new draftees to the organization receive a handbook on the history of the ballclub, which says as much about Ricketts's nostalgia for the Cubs as it does building a foundation for the future.

But not even Sandberg could have coaxed much more out of this Cubs team and players like Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez have contracts with the club that favor them and weigh the organization down like diver weights. Would Ricketts and the new GM hire Sandberg for what is becoming a rebuilding process and let him reap the benefits down the road?