Last week, at the Joe Maddon goodbye fest, Theo Epstein said, as he was firing Joe,1 that Joe was a Hall of Fame manager. But apparently a Hall of Fame manager wasn’t what Theo thought the Cubs needed in 2020, so it was “Goodbye Joe. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.” Which brings us to the question of “Who’s next?”
According to press reports, David Ross is being interviewed, as are one or more “internal” candidates; i.e., guys who were with the Cubs in 2019. It seems to me, given the problems/concerns that Theo Epstein identified in his post-season press conference,2 that Theo is saying the Cubs need a kick in the rear. Can an internal candidate do that? Can David Ross (who sounds more like a “lets-get-the-2016-gang-back-together-again” guy) do that? Or do we need somebody from the outside to shake things up?
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1 Or, as Theo claims, he was merely not rehiring Joe; though, with Joe having said, earlier in the summer, that he expected to be back in 2020, it sounds a lot like the functional equivalent of a firing to me.
2 Too many baserunning mistakes, inability to make contact (see my thoughts on the “Lack of Clutch Singles” here), not making adjustments at the plate, etc. (See Bruce Miles’ article on Theo’s press conference here.)
Ozzie Guillen - WS winner available
Posted by: Bob | October 10, 2019 at 04:34 PM
I'm not sure he would be a good fit in blue and white - but at least with the new clubhouse, the other problem should be gone.
Posted by: Pat Allen | October 11, 2019 at 09:29 AM
Dusty wants back in - he’s reloaded his toothpick s
Posted by: Bob | October 14, 2019 at 03:02 PM
I wish Dusty well in Philly. I think he could do well there. As for the Cubs, however, he is no Charlie Grimm.
Posted by: Pat Allen | October 14, 2019 at 05:48 PM