Sandberg Is Gone

It's funny...When Sandberg showed interest in managing, the Cubs said, "we'll give you an opportunity to go make your bones in the minors and see how it shakes out". That was good enough for Ryne then. Then throughout this whole Cubs managerial search, you got the sense from Sandberg that there was some entitlement. It's as if some people thought the scepter and crown should logically go to Sandberg since the Cubs had given him the chance in the minors.

It reminds me of the scene in The Jerk, where Steve Martin gets asked, "Want to be the president of Texaco?"...Martin "Yeah"..."Then get in there and mop that bathroom".

Maslow strikes again! GED10DaD

It seems to me that he did get in there and mop the floor though. He went to the minors and did his job and had success. More success than the Cubs had and he's got more managerial experience than Quade who's only been in the big chair at any level the last part when he took over for Pinella.

I don't blame him for being upset. He was told "get experience in the minors" and he would be given a chance. He did that and they go with a guy who had virtually no experience. Granted Quad was successful in his short stay but Sandberg should have seen the writing on the wall when he wasn't promoted when Pinella retired. If he truly was going to be given a shot then this would have been the perfect opportunity to give him a test drive. But they went with Quade over Sandberg and while I believe it was wrong I think they may have hired a good candidate.

Four years in the minors is not really a long apprenticeship compared to many guys that earn their bones down in the bushes. He was given an opportunity and was apparently seen lacking in some way despite him having the advantage of immense popularity with the Cub fans. Super stars rarely make great managers because often the game was much easier for them and they have a hard time teaching skillsthat they didn't have to struggle to improve. All in all it might be better if he gets his chance in a different organization, so that the inevitable day he is fired it doesn't cause irreparable damage with the Cubs. I am a fan of Sandberg's and hope he does get a chance soon.

Not sure what Sandberg did wrong here, he applied for the job....didn't get it and then is making the choice to leave the organization and catch on with a different one.

I haven't heard him go on espn bitching and moaning about it or acting "entitled" about anything.

I think you are projecting that on him.

He did what they asked, they chose not to hire him and he is moving on.

Just becuase he was a great player and has money doesn't mean he's a bad person....

Perhaps the door for ther NY Mets is open to him

Four years is a little bit longer than what 40 games? Sandberg was basically told you're not experienced enough now but if you go to the minors in a few years we will see. Then when the time comes they go with a guy who basically has no experience other than 40 some games. Come on surely you can see where he has reason to be upset over that? You're told you don't have the experience and bust your tail in the minors and do a pretty good job overall and then get shot down for a guy who has almost no managerial experience.

I see it as being similar to what West Virginia University went through a few years ago when Rich Rodriguez up and left them before a BCS bowl game with Oklahoma to go to Michigan. They let Bill Stewart run the ship to get through what everyone considered to be a slaughter and then go hire a new coach. Funny thing is Stewart and the Mountaineers got the win and everyone was caught up in the emotion and they hired Stewart basically on the spot without ever considering any other candidates. Here it is 3 years later and it's not been a bad hire becuase WVU averages about 8 - 9 wins a year but it's in a weak conference that's getting weaker every year.

Same thing - Pinella ups and retires (for good reason) and they go with Quade to get through the rest of the season and he does a pretty good job and the Cubs finish strong. So they hire him.

Is Quade the answer - I have no idea. Is Sandberg the answer - I have no idea either but Sandberg did what the Cubs said to do in order to get the job but then they turn around and hire a guy who had about as much managing experience as Sandberg did when they told him to go to the minors.

I'm actually in agreement with you three bagger in that I hope he gets to manage somewhere else besides Chicago. He is an well known figure with a great reputation as someone who played the game the right way. If he manages the Cubs and they fall flat on his face then that image will be tarnished. I don't want to see that but going to another team will help offset that some.

Personally I think he will be a great manager. The Cubs can be a great team under Quade and I hope he does well and gets into the playoffs. I've been a Cubs fan for over 20 some years. I'm not against Quade but Sandberg was done wrong here.

I think Sandberg has paid his dues and it was the right thing for him to move on. Most guys of his stature would be unwilling to work themselves up from the minors the way he did. He also was very successful. The x's and o's of managing are overrated in baseball imho. Yes, Bruce Bochy pulled all the right strings this year but Lincecum, Cain, and Bumgarner are the very best strings to pull right now.

The key is having the people skills to get the most out of players. I think Sandberg has proven that in the minors.

Sandberg is one of my all-time favorites....the Cubs are one of my most disliked teams, and in this case I'm siding with the Cubs and thinking Sandberg is being a bad loser, taking his ball and going home. A real feather in his hat would have been stick with the Cubs and show other teams how he deals with adversity, rejection, and professionalism. JMO

Unless you're in the Cubs front office, who's to say what kind of job Sandberg did "behind the scenes" with his AAA team, what kind of interview did he have, or, did his minor league experience REALLY groom him for a big league job. This is a multi-million dollar business and I give the Cub organization credit for looking past the easy way out a basing their decision on the "right man for the job" whether it's right or wrong in the end which is all hind-site used by message boards and blogger fodder.

The Milwaukee Brewers also dug a little deeper than the surface by passing on known managerial names like Bob Melvin and Bobby Valentine and hiring Angels Bench Ron Roenicke. Many Brewer web sites initially looked at that hire in dismay until they also dug deeper and saw Roenicke's lineage as a MILB coach and tuitledge under Mike Scioscia since 2006. Eye candy isn't always the best tasting.

quote:

Originally posted by ClevelandDad:
The key is having the people skills to get the most out of players. I think Sandberg has proven that in the minors.

IMO there is a world of difference between MILB and MLB players. I think a couple years of MLB coaching experience where he will learn the intricacies of wearing the coaches shoes at the big league level may be all Sandberg needs to make that next step to Manager.

Guys, obviously some of you haven't read up on Mike Quade. He served 19 years in minor coaching with 17 years as a manager and over 1200 victories. He served the last 4 years with the Cubs as a coach at the ML level. His depth of experience far outshines Sandberg's. How did yall fgure Quade got the job with no experience? When he did the job on an interem basis he had a great record although in a small sample. I just feel a former superstar like Sandberg often is handed or expects to be handed these jobs while "Joe-NoName" toils for years or decades without a shot.

I think it was a good decision from Sandberg. He doesn't want to get stuck with the Cubs managing AAA forever. He gave it his best shot, time to see about other opportunities.

Stu

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