Today’s column from the Kankakee Daily Journal and The (Ottawa, Ill.) Times …
I’m Cooperstown-bound and Down
The WISCH LIST
July 24, 2010
On this date in 1960, Lou Piniella was 16 years old, Andre Dawson six and Charlie Grimm 61.
And this weekend, I have all three on my mind.
Let me tell you why.
Adieu, Sweet Lou
On Tuesday afternoon, when the news broke that Cubs manager Lou Piniella was calling it quits, “The Heckler” – Wrigleyville’s version of “The Onion” – posted a spoof story online featuring the headline: “Piniella coming out of retirement to manage remainder of 2010 season.”
Say what you will about Lou’s fading fire, he will be missed.
The big question now burning in Chicago, of course, is who will succeed him. No candidate intrigues more than Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who has morphed into an unlikely firebrand as the manager of the Triple-A Iowa Cubs.
But does Sandberg have the chops for Wrigley? Or does he not?
According to my sources, there isn’t a clear consensus either way in the Cubs front office.
If the franchise opts to focus on marketing as it transitions from veterans to kids, then Sandberg is a lock. And, undoubtedly, Ryno is the fans’ sentimental choice, which means that anyone hired who isn’t him will be under a particularly intense microscope.
However, one veteran Chicago baseball scribe I know told me last month that Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly, who managed the Arizona Diamondbacks to a World Series championship in 2001, would be his preference to replace Piniella.
“He’s got the chops, and he’s strong enough and personable enough to deal with anything,” he said of Brenly.
HOF: Hawk of Fame
Of all sports, none captures my imagination quite like baseball.
That said, this season it’s barely been able to even capture my attention.
The Cubs stink, which is a state of summertime affairs that impacts my daily mood as much as the sunshine.
And, yes, White Sox and Cardinals fans, your teams are at the top of your divisions.
I know. I’ve heard.
This weekend, though, everything changes. Baseball moves back to my forefront, as right now – like, this very minute – I’m on the road to Cooperstown, N.Y., with my dad and brother. On Sunday afternoon, we’ll be in attendance when former Cubs MVP Andre Dawson is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
For us, the trip to Cooperstown is a celebration of The Hawk (one of my all-time favorites), baseball (our family’s No. 1 sport) and life, as my father, Joe – who has been fighting non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since March – learned two weeks ago that he’s in complete remission.
Actually, never mind the Cubs. That victory was the only one I needed this summer.
Grimm Reality
ABC has that ridiculous Reality TV show, “Wife Swap.” But did you know that 50 years ago the Cubs tested out the managerial version?
It was no less ridiculous.
As the 1960 season approached, former Cubs skipper Charlie Grimm – 11 years removed from managing at Wrigley – was coaxed out of retirement for one last shot at guiding the team to the World Series.
It misfired.
Less than a month in, the Cubs were a meager 6-11, prompting owner P.K. Wrigley to make the novel move of removing Grimm and replacing him with Lou Boudreau, the team’s play-by-play radio announcer. Grimm, who had broadcasting experience, then took Boudreau’s place in the booth.
Really.
That experiment didn’t work, either, as the Cubs went 54-83 the rest of the season, after which Boudreau headed back to radio and Grimm into the sunset.
Considering the backgrounds of both Brenly (former manager) and Piniella (former TV analyst), the Cubs could have done the same thing in 2010.
Imagine that.
Dave, I have to ask. On what wonderful piece of Apple technology did you write your column on in the car?
Interesting piece of trivia from 1960. Not sure how Lou would do in the booth. I have to disagree with your source on Brenly. A lot of managers could have won a World Series with Schilling and Johnson in the rotation. I’m being totally objective here (I know my Cardinals’ allegiance could cloud things) when I say Ryno is the right guy for the job. He’s paid his dues, and he has also managed a lot of the guys he will eventually manage in Chicago. I happen to think prior big-league managing experience is overrated. It didn’t hurt Ozzie Guillen or Ron Gardenhire to not have prior MLB managerial experience. I just think it’s “same stuff, different day” by hiring Brenly.
Hey Dallon,
I actually didn’t write the column in the car, I wrote it a few days before I left for the trip (my weekly deadline is Thursday mornings). I just wrote it to read as I was in the car, as I knew I would be when the papers were delivered on Saturday. One of those little journalism tricks of the trade 😉
As for the Cubs, I think Sandberg is probably the guy, although I wouldn’t mind Brenly. I’ve been impressed with him as an analyst and he tells it like it is. I don’t think he’d let the players get away with too much.
Beyond all that, though, I think it’s Girardi’s job to turn down. If he wants it, I imagine he’ll get it (and he should). If he wants to remain with the Yankees (which he likely will), then smart money is probably on Sandberg. But his hiring still isn’t a slam-dunk from what I hear.