Are you happy with the hiring of Mike Quade?

Honestly I never heard of the guy til this post. That's typically not a good sign.

Don't think this will change your mind, but as a Sandberg fan I am glad he wasn't chosen at this time. Ryno needs more experience in coaching and managing before assuming the title of Skipper. Quade did almost nothing wrong during the time he was the Cubs interim manager - and he was a "safer" choice. From what I've read, Quade has the respect of the players.

Hopefully, Sandberg will be either the Cubs 3rd base or bench coach beginning in 2011. Then he can replace Quade when the time comes.

Actually, Id like to ask you exactly what it was that Sandberg did to deserve the job of manager?

More specifically, what qualifications does Ryne Sandberg have that Mike Quade does not have in greater quantity?

How many years have each of them spent as a coach at the major league level? For Quade. that would be seven seasons. For Sandberg, a big fat zero.

How many years have each of them managed a professional ball club? For Quade, looks like about 17. For Sandberg. a whopping 4.

How many times have you heard Sandberg's name mentioned as a candidate for an MLB manager job? For me, that would be once - when the Cubs hired Piniella, Sandberg was interviewed.

And oddly enough, Quade was not only interviewed at the same time, he was considered to be one of the five finalists for that position.

My guess is that you, like most Cubs fans (including me) have a great deal of respect for Sandberg as a ballplayer. But that does not make him a viable major league manager. As a matter of fact, history will tell you that very really good ballplayers have made good managers - most of the truly great ones were marginal ballplayers at best.

One other thing to consider. The Cubs are probably not going to be very good next season, unless they can find some true chumps to take over some of their huge contracts. 2011 is going to be, like it or not, a rebuilding season. Perhaps the Cubs organization would rather give someone like Quade the responsibility of managing during this tough period than set Sandberg up for failure.

Sandberg would be best served by looking for a position as a bench coach or third base coach at the big league level. Or if a manager's job is what he wants, he should go to another city where he is not worshiped as much. Personally I think Toronto would be a great fit for him.

At this point Ricketts is reminding me of Rachel Phelps, the owner in the Major League movies who deliberately tried to make her team so bad that she could move them to Florida.

Between the retention of Jim Hendry, who has done an absolutely awful job these last few years, and Quade, I am not at all optimistic about the Cubs future.

He had decent success after taking over for Lou at the end of last season so if it worked for a little while might as well try it out. This is especially true because there are no big names out there willing to do the job. I am in the same situation with my team, being a Jays fan and Cito Gaston retiring from the position.

Hey, whatever works.