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Due to the fact I'm not consistent in my board viewing, I apologize if these points have already been made. However, with Piniella officially out after today's game I thought this discussion has become timely again.
1. The Cubs are not drawing like they have in recent years - It's true. They are down roughly 1,000 per game this year compared to last. In 09 they were down roughly 1,000 per game from the year before. Doesn't seem like much, but for the Wrigley Attendance machine this is not a trend I bet the Ricketts were even imagining. Again, 1,000 isn't a big deal, but is that the real number? What we all do know to be true is that not as many people are showing up for games whether they have tickets or not. I can't believe how many games I have seen this year where there have been holes all over the ball park. The Cubs-White Sox series at Wrigley was a joke as far as how many people actually showed up. Yes, you can argue the Blackhawks parade and hysteria going into that weekend. But for a Saturday game with an undefeated Silva going against Buehrle to be about 3/4 filled is unacceptable. People clearly aren't coming out to the World's Biggest Beer Garden, regardless of if they had tickets or not to the event. Before you say that doesn't impact the owners, think again. That's less people buying food, beer, overpriced pop, souvenirs, etc. Again, this is not something the Ricketts could have expected. Bringing in one of their heroes in from the 80's would be a sense (potentially false sense) of comfort for Ricketts. Sandberg as manager would fix the people not showing up to games for at least the first year. Throw in Maddux as a pitching coach and Mark Grace just being Mark Grace and this could be a very poor Cub's fan version of the 85 Bears guys all on one coaching staff. That, or it'd be like bringing in Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash to draw a crowd that normally wouldn't be there. Attendance problem fixed...short term. And imagine all the new merch that would be sold with their sell out crowds showing up again. This was supposed to be a money making business for Ricketts and I believe he sees the $ signs here.
2. Alan Trammel is not going to be interim manager - This to me is very telling. Trammel had managed the team in the past when Lou was not present. Trammel had been rumored as being a potential candidate when Lou first announced he would not be back. Lou is done today. Trammel will not manage from here on out. If he was a candidate they'd have given him the opportunity to run the team. Clearly no one on this Cubs major league coaching staff is in line for the job. Good news for a Sandberg hire.
3. Sandberg's Desire to be Cubs Manager + Ricketts love of Past Cubdom - This could be what will put it over the top. Remember when the Cubs were in the market for a new manager before they hired Baker? Sandberg announced to the world he wanted the job (with no managerial experience whatsoever). It wasn't a joke. He was dead serious. Hendry kind of patted Ryno on the head and said thanks but no thanks. He went on to basically say you're free to try Single A baseball and after a year Sandberg will end up hating it and that will be the end of that. Until he wanted to do it again. Sandberg has unconventially gone up the ranks of managing in the minors as a HOFer. He wants this Cubs job more than anything. Do you really think Ricketts will have the heart to tell Sandberg no to the job after playing fantasy baseball all year with Greg Maddux as an "assistant to the GM?" I don't think so. This guy loves hanging out with his heroes. He'd love to be the reason Sandberg got to manage the Cubs.
Maybe I'm off, but I think its Sandberg. He's my favorite player of all-time, regardless of sport, but I'm still undecided on of this is the right move or not. I think Ricketts doesn't want to show his hand right now and make it an over-the-top announcement that none of us were quite sure if it would happen or not.
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