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Good Ryno article - kbwsb - 03-01-2009
I think Paul Sullivan is one of the best baseball writers around, and think he may win a Pulitzer this year. After that, he will surely follow Peter Gammons into the Baseball Hall Of Fame, and if you don't think I'll be making the trek to Cooperstown that summer of his induction, you're crazy.
Just kidding. I did enjoy this article though:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE <!--quotec-->Chicago Cubs' Ryne Sandberg enjoys learning ropes in minors
Sandberg hopes managerial climb leads to Cubs job
By Paul Sullivan | Tribune reporter
March 1, 2009
MESA, Ariz. — Ryne Sandberg moves up the managerial ladder to Double-A Tennessee this year, taking another step toward his ultimate goal of returning to Wrigley Field.
Whether he will be able to fulfill his dream of managing the Cubs remains to be seen, but Sandberg has impressed management in his first two years running Class A Peoria.
"From right out of the gate he did great," general manager Jim Hendry said. "He's a great instructor, early to work every day, and he's tremendously into [managing].
<b>"I don't think there's another living Hall of Fame member coaching or managing in the minor leagues right now, so I give him a lot of credit.</b> He has given us two great years. He could have spent the rest of his life playing golf and doing card shows. We moved him up to Double A, and he's on a good track."
Will that track eventually lead Sandberg back to Wrigley?
If he's truly the heir apparent to Lou Piniella in the Cubs' dugout, Sandberg apparently is going to have to wait a while.
The Cubs picked up Piniella's option year in October, meaning he should be around through at least 2010. Meanwhile, the Cubs are in the process of being sold to the Ricketts family, so no one in the organization is certain what the future holds.
Sandberg, however, knew the road back to Wrigley wouldn't be easy, and he's not in any particular hurry.
"I'm enjoying what I'm doing," he said. "I think along the way, the experiences I'm gaining, and being out here this spring, that's all good. If one day that opportunity came, obviously that's something I'd like to be considered for."
After being out of baseball for nine years, Sandberg decided in 2006 to apply for the opening Dusty Baker's firing created. Piniella got the job, but with the backing of former Cubs President John McDonough, Hendry hired Sandberg to manage Peoria, a low-level farm team, hoping he had the right stuff to manage the big league club eventually.
But McDonough is long gone, and<b> Hendry was noncommittal when asked if Sandberg could be considered Piniella's heir apparent.
"Lou is the heir apparent to me," Hendry said cryptically. "I haven't given it any thought."</b>
After going 131-146 in two years at Peoria, Sandberg hopes to establish himself as a potential major-league manager in Tennessee. An iconic figure in Cubs annals, Sandberg also helps brings fans out to the ballpark, as Tennessee is about to discover this summer.
"That has been going on for almost 25 years now, so I'm kind of used to that," he said. "The Midwest League was unreal with all the Cubs fans in every park. I think I experienced about as much fanfare as I could. I haven't spent much time in Tennessee, other than going there last month to get a place lined up.
"And I've only spent a little time in Alabama, North Carolina, so it'll be a different neck of the woods. I imagine there are a lot of Cubs fans there from all those years. That's now almost a daily routine for me—get out there, say hello, sign some autographs. [It's] part of the act, but nothing that gets in the way of the work I have to do."
<b>Sandberg said managing is more fun than he imagined</b>, and he looks comfortable running the show. Managing in Double-A carries more responsibilities, he said, including scouting opposing players and making recommendations on his own players who may be considered for a call up to the big club.
But it's all about making adjustments, and <b>unlike most players of his caliber, Sandberg has been willing to learn the managerial ropes from the ground level up. </b>
"I learned a lot in '07 just wearing a manager's hat and all that entails, especially from the minor-league level," he said.
"There are days you're a hitting coach, days you're a pitching coach, working with the catchers, the outfielders, running the game. … After all those years of playing, that's kind of gratifying—knowing I was learning something I had loved to do in a different capacity.
"I enjoy being out here. This is what I want to do."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Good Ryno article - Destined - 03-02-2009
The Messiah