Somewhere, Ryne Sandberg must be wondering whether he caught a break. Passed over by Jim Hendry for the vacant Cubs managerial position, the former hall of famer has spent the season managing the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. While the Cubs have been imploding, Sandberg has been riding busses and throwing batting practice. He, like all of his players, is waiting anxiously for his opportunity at the big league level.
With the recent firing of Jim Hendry, the managerial future of Mike Quade seems ominous at best. One would expect that the next general manager of the Cubs would want to hire his own skipper and Quade wouldn’t fit into those plans. That may open the door for Sandberg, who led the IronPigs to their first playoff appearance. Had Sandberg been given the job this past offseason, he’d probably be facing a similar fate to Mike Quade.
Sandberg represents many of the qualities that Cubs fans would like in their manager; a calm demeanor, a proven ability to teach young players and an intimate understanding of how hungry the fan base is for success. He dazzled the masses at Clark and Addison with his power and consistent production as a player, but whether that translates into managerial success remains to be seen.
Oftentimes, the best managers and coaches are those who had limited, if any, success at the professional level. Hall of Famers sometimes lack the understanding of how to coach someone with moderate talent. Hall of Famers don’t always comprehend the struggles of the average players. Then again, Hall of Famers don’t usually ride busses either.
