Lou and the 7 Possible Replacements

So Sweet Lou bids the North Side farewell and what does he have to show for it? In his four years as manager he posted 2 winning seasons. Two playoff appearances. 0 playoff wins. He was named manager of the year. He’ll be remembered for bringing hope and leaving Cubs nation hopeless. He’ll be remembered for a lot but I’ll contend that Lou shouldn’t get the blame for the failures. At least not all of them.

True it was Lou who decided to keep batting Alfonso Soriano leadoff when he clearly wasn’t built for that spot. But the sadder tragedy is the monster contract Hendry signed Soriano to that the Cubs couldn’t get out from.

It wasn’t Lou’s fault that they signed Bradley to a 3 year deal when everyone knew a 1 year deal would have been risky. And it wasn’t Lou who brought in Fukudome to a big contract and then watched him implode and prove to not be the Ichiro they were looking for. The sad fact is that it’s the Cubs management, not their manager, that keeps failing to get them to the that elusive World Series ring.

But we all watched Lou fold toward the end. He seemed lifeless the last couple years a sure sign that he got more than he bargained for at Wrigley. Day baseball only sounds nice when you are watching it from the bleachers. He’ll leave a career that is worthy of consideration for the Hall of Fame but in this editors opinion a little short of Hall Worthy.

But now that Lou’s gone it’s up to Cubs brass to get themselves a manager. They moved Mike Quade to interim manager over the more experienced Alan Trammel. This was to keep away from any confusion that Trammel could be the next Cubs skipper. It doesn’t appear he’s in the running and if he won in the last 37 games, he’d have to be considered.

The last two skippers have been flashy hires. Dusty Baker was high off his tenure in San Fran and Lou was baseball royalty rumored for the Bronx many times over but they both landed in Chicago and were both unceremoniously ushered out. Had Lou not retired he most certainly would have been given his walking papers. Wrigley needed new life and Lou was lifeless.

So maybe Cubs brass is now learning that flash doesn’t make dreams come true, good pitching does. Timely hitting. Team defense. Those things matter more than a manager. But they have to start somewhere. So here’s a look at their prospective candidates and some guys that might be dark horses.

1. Alan Trammel – He appears to be such a dark horse that if he got the job Jim Hendry would be surprised. He’s a good baseball man but his stint with the Tigers didn’t impress anyone.

2. Joe Girardi – He loves Chicago but he’d have to be stupid to take the Cubs job. This job will be there in 10 years. The Yankees job and there 3 or 4 World Series rings that he could own might not. No matter how much the Cubs pay the Yankees just makes more sense. He can do like Lou did and make Chicago the last stop on his retirement tour. New York is about going to the Hall of Fame. The Cubs is about Billy Goats and Ronnie Woo-Woo

3. Ronnie Woo-Woo – Maybe not the best candidate but you know he won’t leave to go anywhere and he can certainly stand the losing. Let’s not close the door on him.

4. Bob Brenley – He appears to want the job. Bob has a ring to back up application but if he goes they will have trouble filling his place in the booth. Who else can talk to Len about music and point out the most obvious things about baseball. “Zambrano is going to have to start getting people out if he wants to stay in that ball game.” “That 900 foot homerun was crushed!” “It’s a shame when someone gets their face blown off by a landmine in centerfield” Ok the last one was made up but you get the point. Brenley could get the nod but it’s not likely.

5. Ron Santo – Would he be any good? No. Would he need Pat Hughes there to remind him how many outs are left or who is available in the bullpen? Yes. But the Cubs keep trying to find ways to honor him so why not give him the job.

6. Jesus – Come on, he saved mankind. I’m pretty sure he can keep Aaramis Ramirez off the DL.

7. Ryne Sandberg – Bingo! We might have a winner here. They say he’s too young but the fact is that Ryno is really popular with the fans and if the new owner Tom Ricketts has taught us anything it’s that he cares about selling first and foremost and Ryne would bring a lot of excitement to the fans…until he starts speaking and then fans will have to light themselves on fire just to stay awake. But he’s exactly what a team that will be rebuilding might need is a guy who is learning on the job as well. It could be a good marriage.

August 24, 2010 – Michael Cahill So Sweet Lou bids the North Side farewell and what does he have to show for it? In his four years as manager he posted 2 winning seasons. Two playoff appearances. 0 playoff wins. He was named manager of the year. He’ll be remembered for bringing hope and leaving [...]