Why Ryne Sandberg Is The Answer

For once, Phil Rogers has written something that does not make me want to throw up.

I approached this subject with Dave Duncan and am ready to do so with Ryne Sandberg.

I've never been a fan of former star players becoming coaches and managers -- mostly because it rarely works out.  But Ryno seems to be different.  He holds several intangibles that make me think he might be the perfect successor once Lou Piniella hangs up his managerial thinking cap.

And here's why.

Better Late Than Never: Happy Anniversary To The Day That Won Ryne Sandberg The 1984 NL MVP Award

Reaganomics ruled and Michael Jordan was a Bull for only a week, but on June 23, 1984, the world belonged to Chicago Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg.

Sandberg entered the game with a .321 batting average, .371 on-base percentage, .531 slugging percentage and a .902 OPS. Numbers that any player, let alone a second baseman, would have wet dreams about finishing with.

After June 23, Ryno left Wrigley Field batting .332, on-basing .380, slugging .558 and OPSing .938. Yeah, a 5-for-6 game with 2 runs scored and 7 runs batted in will do that for you. Yes, everyone remembers the two home runs, and why not? Both were game-tying home runs off Bruce Sutter, a former Cub, and, at the time, the world's greatest closer. The second homer, of course, came as NBC was rolling the closing credits on the Cubs' comeback.

All of this coming against the arch-rival Cardinals in the heat of a summer pennant race, which certified the Cubs and contenders, cemented what ended up being MVP season for Sandberg and provided his career with that one game you set a soundtrack to and remind your "associates" that happen to be Joe Morgan apologists they can go shove it.

June 23 is celebrated as "The Sandberg Game" in Chicago. In St. Louis, it is known as the "We Still Have More World Series Than You" game. And how did Sandberg celebrate today? By putting his stamp of disapproval on Sammy Sosa's Hall of Fame credentials.

And no, I don't want to know how Rafael Palmeiro celebrated, either

Wrigley Packs 30K And The Cubs Ain't Even There

More than 30,000 fans filed into Wrigley Field on Tuesday night to see minor leaguers. That's really not news because that was what the Cub fans were treated to during the Andrew B. MacFailure era.

However, this time was different. Hall Of Famer Ryne Sandberg returned home to manage the Peoria Chiefs against the Kane County Cougars in the inaugural "Road To Wrigley" game.

Sandberg is in his second year as the head Chief, gaining managerial experience on a daily basis as he prepares to eventually take over the Cubs whenever Lou Piniella decides to call it a career. And if you're expecting the mild-mannered Ryno, you're wrong.

No, he wasn't a part of the Dayton-Peoria fiasco, but Sandberg has been described as feisty and has been thrown out of numerous games in his brief managerial career.

Do the Cubs have a Lou Jr. waiting in the wings? Who knows, but the bigger question is whether the Chicago media could handle blow ups by Sandberg and Ozzie Guillen on the same day or even in the same game.