It was Ryne Sandberg’s goal to be the manager of the Chicago Cubs, the team he played for so well and the team whose cap he’s wearing in the Baseball Hall of Fame. But the Cubs decided to go in a different direction when choosing a new manager after Lou Piniella retired, and after seeing how bad the Cubs’ season has gone, Sandberg couldn’t be happier.
“I can’t tell you how relieved I am they hired that bald guy instead of me,” said Sandberg. “The Triple-A team I manage has better fundamentals than that clown show they’re putting on in Wrigley. And to think that could’ve been me trying to explain why Soriano misplayed a fly ball every other day? Someone must be watching over me.”
The people around Sandberg can see how pleased he is to be part of an actual baseball organization with a solid foundation and a winning tradition, instead of the Cubs, who focus on giant macaroni noodles and finding C-list celebrities to sing the seventh inning stretch. And unlike the old Sandberg, he’s not shy about voicing his displeasure, blasting the Cubs in interviews and on Twitter.
“I think they hired that bald guy because they knew that whoever was going to manage the team was going to lose his hair anyway,” said Sandberg in a recent interview. “So they figured they might as well just hire someone without any to begin with. Not a bad idea actually, and it sure worked out for me.”
By Michael Kloempken
