Tag Archives: cubs

Many managerial mainstays walking away

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How’s that for a tongue-twisting headline?

I was watching a little bit of the Toronto Blue Jays-New York Yankees game on TV on Wednesday night, and the Blue Jays were honoring longtime manager Cito Gaston. I hadn’t realized it until then that Gaston will be managing the final game of his career against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday at Target Field. Gaston had announced prior to this season that 2010 would be his last.

Cito Gaston

Toronto Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston was honored Wednesday night in his final home game. He announced he's retiring after this season. The Jays finish the year with a four-game series at Target Field against the Twins. Associated Press photo

Gaston joins a number of other veteran skippers walking away from the game this season. Let’s look at some of the big names heading for retirement.

  • Cito Gaston. Let’s start with Gaston. He’s had two different stints running the Blue Jays, first from 1989-97, then again from 2008 until this season. Gaston led the Blue Jays to AL East titles in three of his first four years and back-to-back World Series titles in 1992 and 1993. He’s had a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde tenure, because since 1994 his teams have never finished higher than third, and only once have the Jays finished higher than fourth. How can that be? Could be that he simply inherited some really talented players in the early 1990s. Or it might speak more to the economics of the game and Toronto’s inability to field a winner when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox became perennial playoff teams. Either way, not too many managers can say they’ve successfully defended a championship in Major League Baseball. Gaston is one that can.
  • Bobby Cox. Like Gaston, Cox had two different stints as manager of the team he’s become synonymous with. In addition to his 26 years as Atlanta Braves skipper (1978-81, 1990-2010), he also managed the Blue Jays for four seasons (1982-85). All told, Cox led the Braves to 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, plus led the Blue Jays to a division crown in 1985. Despite all of Atlanta’s success, he managed just one World Series title, as the Braves defeated the Cleveland Indians in the 1995 World Series. Cox ranks fourth all-time in managerial wins, trailing only Connie Mack, John McGraw and Tony La Russa.
  • Lou Piniella. Piniella walked away in midseason from the Chicago Cubs in what has been a frustrating season for the Bleacher Bums at Wrigley Field. Piniella managed 23 seasons in the big leagues for five different clubs from 1986-2010 (Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Devil Rays, Cubs). Among the five he spent most of his time in Seattle, helping the Mariners to a thrilling postseason berth in 1995, plus a 116-46 record in 2001. The highlight of his career was in 1990 with the Reds, when he guided Cincinnati to a National League pennant and a shocking four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics in the World Series. When you looked at those two teams on paper, it’s still hard to believe that Series ended the way it did.
  • Joe Torre. There’s no reason to think Torre is done for good, but who knows? Torre announced earlier this month that he won’t be returning to his post as Los Angeles Dodgers manager after this season, giving way for Don Mattingly to take over. Torre is in his 30th season as a big league manager and is fifth all-time in wins. He had forgettable runs with the Mets, Braves and Cardinals. But he was at the helm when the Yankees snapped their nearly two-decade drought without a World Series title, leading NY to championships in 1996, 1998, 1999 and 2000.

Cubs opening generates intriguing candidates

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At the office with the Chicago Cubs-St. Louis Cardinals game on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

With the announcement of Lou Piniella set to leave as Cubs manager following the season, all sorts of relatively big names in the baseball world and the Cubs world have been linked to the job.

ESPN had a graphic including many of those names. I figured I’d break down the candidates.

  • Ryne Sandberg. The former Cubs icon has spent the last four seasons managing in the team’s farm system. I’m guessing he’s a popular choice among the team’s loyal fan base. But you have to wonder too if this is the best thing for Sandberg, taking over a team that hasn’t won a World Series in over 100 years. Bit of a gamble for his legacy, but if he led the Cubs to a championship, his status in the Windy City would untouchable. 
  • Alan Trammell. The former Detroit Tigers manager and icon is currently the bench coach for Piniella. He managed the Tigers to a .383 winning percentage from 2003-05 before giving way to the team’s renaissance under present manager Jim Leyland.
  • Joe Torre. It’s one thing to win in New York, but if Torre could bring a title to the Cubbies, that would be something. Torre going to the Cubs makes a lot of sense to me. It’s been reported that the Cubs owners want to make a big splash, and who better than to land Torre. And from Torre’s perspective, the ownership issues in LA might have him yearning to move on. I’m sure he doesn’t miss the pressure-cooker of the Bronx, and Wrigley Field couldn’t be farther away from that environment.
  • Joe Girardi. I’ve heard a couple of TV pundits say that the New York Yankees current manager has said he wants to one day manage the Cubs. Well, that day is not today. I’d be shocked if he went there. He’s got the best job in sports, at least when the organization is being run properly.
  • Bob Brenly. The Chicago Cubs broadcaster led the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series title in 2001 as manager. Despite the memborable championship, I don’t see Brenly as a "big splash" kind of hire. I do think he’s a solid color commentator though.
  • Bobby Valentine. Hey, why not? If there’s a job open, he’s a candidate these days. He didn’t exactly shoot down the idea while working as an ESPN analyst on Sunday, saying the job is one any potential manager would want. And he still considers himself that on occasion.
  • Lou Piniella. Isn’t it possible that he simply changes mind? OK, probably not. I just finished reading Bill Madden‘s biography of George Steinbrenner, so the manager flip-flop is still on the surface of my brain.

If I had to make a prediction right now, I’m leaning toward Torre or possibly Sandberg. But ask me again in October.

Breakdown of Chicago, Milwaukee ballparks

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As promised, I said I would try to give a little breakdown of the three baseball stadiums I saw games at over my vacation last week. Here we go:

Miller Park – Milwaukee

Pretty spectacular ballpark. As I mentioned, I don’t really understand why the roof was shut on an otherwise gorgeous evening in Milwaukee. Miller Park is somewhat typical of the retractable roof ballparks in that it’s HUGE, so it kind of lacks the quote-unquote intimate feel of some newer parks. But nevertheless, this was a newer stadium done right. And it always helps to go to games where the fans have really embraced the team. With young stars like Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, the Brewers are an easy team to like.

U.S. Cellular Field – Chicago

This park was a bit of a pleasant surprise. Yeah, it lacks the bells and whistles that you see with a lot of newer parks, but I kind of liked it. The concourse was cool. The walls inside were covered with murals throughout the deck we were sitting at, honoring the Chicago White Sox’s long history in professional baseball. Food was good too. Really enjoyed the Comiskey Dog. Parking was $23, which I think is outrageous. But the tickets we got were only $19 apiece, so that’s not bad. Seats were pretty far from home plate, but it was OK.

Wrigley Field – Chicago

Watching the Twins at Wrigley Field was the highlight of the trip. Wrigley is everything you’d expect it to be. Much like Fenway Park, there’s a lot of congestion and hoopla before and after the games. The guts of the stadium are exposed. The lines for concessions are long and for the bathrooms even longer. But it’s hard not to love it anyway. What a special place. Ernie Banks. Babe Ruth‘s Called Shot. Rooftop seats. The ivy. And having grown up watching Cubs afternoon baseball games on WGN back when I was kid – with Harry Caray and Steve Stone at the mic – it was pretty cool to finally get there.

On the way home, I was asked whether or not I thought Wrigley was better than Fenway or vice versa. That’s really tough to say. If I had to pick one or the other, I would take Fenway. But I just really liked the town of Boston, and it would have more to do with that than it would with the parks.

The one conclusion I can draw pretty easily is that Fenway and Wrigley - two parks that are each nearly 100 years old – provide something that other parks nowadays just can’t. These are parks surrounded by people congestion, not traffic congestion. Instead of parking lots and freeways, there are souvenir stands and bars. There is housing and apartment buildings.

Approaching these parks gets your mind wandering to another time. Think about how different the world was when Fenway (opened 1912) and Wrigley (opened 1914) were being built. Fenway opened within a week of the Titanic hitting an iceberg. William Howard Taft was President. Tris Speaker was leading the Sox onto the field on Opening Day.

There’s just something about walking into Fenway and Wrigley that gave me goosebumps. Owners can use millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to build colossal parks with great views of city skylines, but they simply can’t replicate what Fenway and Wrigley provide. Stadiums can’t be built that way anymore, and that’s just the way it is.