Who Will Cubs GM Jim Hendry Choose?
A few weeks ago, legendary Manager Lou Piniella announced that the 2010 season would be his last. The announcement during the season gave the Cubs plenty of time to look for a suitable replacement. Piniella himself will be helping the Cubs find a new bench boss.
After watching the Cubs Triple-A team in Daytona, Florida, Hendry is now ready to begin the search: "It's obviously proven to be a very tough job here," Hendry said.
Finding a new manager may take a lot of time and plenty of discretion. A team that has not won a championship in over 100 years certainly cannot afford to hire a manager that won’t bring the team success. Piniella has led Chicago to two division titles, but the team failed to win a single play-off game in both the 2007 and 2008 seasons. The Cubs search will certainly be extensive, as they may possibly interview over 15 candidates. Hendry has also declared that he’s willing to take advice from people he respects.
"My entire life, I've always sought advice from people who have been very successful and have done something at a high level," Hendry said. "That's why I have the relationship I have with Bill Polian [Indianapolis Colts vice president and general manager] and Tony Dungy [former Super Bowl champion coach] and people like that. Not only are they good friends of mine, but they breed success."
One of Hendry’s advisers includes Greg Maddux. Hendry has also sought advice in the past from Braves GM John Schuerholz and Manager Bobby Cox in his time as Cubs manager.
"That's what makes the world go 'round," Hendry said. "If you don't take advantage of peoples' knowledge like that, then you're being short-sighted."
Several among the Cubs' list of candidates include Cubs Triple-A manager Ryan Sandberg, former Marlins manager Fredi Gonzalez and Nationals third-base coach Pat Listach. Other possible candidates are Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Dodgers manager Joe Torre, if the two become free agents at the end of the season.
The team also has ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine on their list, as well as Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly and Padres bench coach Ted Simmons.
The question is who can possibly be the right man for this job? Cubs’ fans will likely want a manager with World Series championships on his resume. Girardi and Torre would come to mind, as they are the two most recent managers of the bunch to pull it off.
You can’t forget that Lou Piniella is a former World Series winner as well and while he was able to lead the Cubs to the play-offs twice, he couldn’t bring one home to the Windy City.
The search will likely take several months and a new manager will not be announced until the end of the season. While Piniella is still trying to head into retirement with style, the Cubs are playing terrible baseball and their season is slipping further and further away.
It appears the Cubs are about to go another year without the World Series and it’s likely time to rebuild all over again. With some big contracts to underperforming players like Alfonso Soriano, Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, it may be time to say goodbye. The new manager will have to build the team his way, a new way.
Whoever the new manager ends up being in 2011, he’ll have one of the most pressure-filled jobs in baseball. He has the responsibility of turning a century of misfortune around, a feat many managers have failed to accomplish. How much longer do Cubs fans want to wait for a World Series?
Tags: