The Cardinals have asked the Phillies for permission to interview Triple-A manager Ryne Sandberg for their managerial opening, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Phillies have granted the Cardinals permission to speak with the Hall of Famer, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (on Twitter).
The Cubs, Sandberg's former team, are also looking for a new manager, but they want a candidate with big league coaching or managing experience, which appears to rule Sandberg out. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa retired this week, kicking off St. Louis' managerial search.
The Cardinals have had Hall of Fame-caliber managers in the dugout for the past 31 seasons. Whitey Herzog has a plaque in Cooperstown and Joe Torre and La Russa, the Cardinals' only other full-time managers since 1980, are strong candidates to be inducted into the Hall of Fame themselves. Sandberg, who entered the Hall of Fame in 2005, would continue the Cardinals' tradition of high-profile managers.
Oh boy.
I don’t know if he’ll get the job or not but would be pretty neat to see him manage there after Hendry screwed him.
God damn Hendry! He keeps haunting this organization…
Yeah pretty sweet to see the Cards make the Phillies look like idiots again too.
Wow are you even a Phils fan? If you’re fine with Dusty Manuel as manager and Ruben Epstein as GM I guess we can expect more of the same.
If by more of the same you mean watching my team win 102 games and make the playoffs, yeah I’m fine with that.
Like the GM who acquired Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Hunter Pence (in that order).
Traded for John Mayberry Jr, signed Jose Contreras (who was our best reliever in 2010), signed Pedro Martinez, among other pretty good moves… not sure what your beef is with him. Other than the fact I think you’re trying to troll me.
… and he’s pretty anti sabrmetric so the “Ruben Epstein” is a pretty bad comparison.
Do I think Charlie Manuel is a great manager? I don’t agree with him but I can’t sit here and say he’s bad because the Phillies aren’t World Champions.
Do I want to see Sandberg manage the Phillies? Yes. Do I think he’ll be a good manager? Yes. But who knows if he will or not? I’m just saying it would be cool to see him manage the Cardinals after the Cubs screwed him over… just adds to the lore and would add a lot to those match ups.
… and the Cardinals made a lot of great teams look silly in the post season.
… also if you could clarify how the Cardinals interviewing the Phillies AAA manager makes them look like idiots, it would be well appreciated. The Phillies can find someone else to replace Charlie Manuel… nobody thought he’d manage them to a title. They’ve come out and said they want him to have a shot in the major leagues…
(if it seems like I’m going on a homer rant, I apologize… just thought it was a dumb comment).
I’d rather him get a shot at the Cubs job. Not sure I want a former Cub as a Cardinals manager even if he is a hall of famer who may or may not be a good manager.
Yeah, I was just thinking myself that this is kind of like Jeter managing the Red Sox after he retires.
I so hope the Cards steal Ryne from the Cubs(yes I know he’s a Phils 3A manager) like the Angels stole Scioscia from the Dodgers…
Scioscia was said to not be ready and the Dodgers wanted a mgr w/ ML exp like the Cubs are saying they want….
Are the Cardinals TRYING to get all Cubs fans to hate them?
Don’t think they have to try.
Don’t they already hate the Cardinals? I mean, I thought that was the point of a 100+ year rivalry.
Cardinals better not ruin my dream of Phillies stealing Sandberg back from the Cubs to win a Championship as a Manager.
Wow the Phillies have done everything but roll the red carpet for the Cardinals in the last 5 weeks.
I laughed really hard at this and one of my coworkers gave me a bad look. Technically, they have been rolling out the red carpet for the last eight years, because Ryan Howard was one of the guys to tell Freese he should return to baseball when he was in college
But Freese actually knows how to make contact on pitches low and away without looking like Helen Keller at the plate.
I don’t mind this idea at all. I’ve talked to a guy who played under him and said he was great. Plus, who’s to say it’s not an interview to be the hitting coach?
If the Cubs sign Pujols, I’d have to say “touchee'”
You’re going to be so excited you’re going to touch yourself?
I love this move as an FU you to the Cubs, but really it’s gotta be Ocquendo. The cards won the world series, we aren’t a team that needs to shake things up. Continuity should be the goal.
But Oquendo has zero experience managing at any level… I think that would be more of a shake up than hiring someone with managerial experience…
I’m by no means an expert, but everything I’ve read about Ryno has been positive. He’s been successful at every level. He is respected by his players. He manages with an intensity. Couple all of this with the fact that it’s a huge slap in the face to the Cubs and I think it could be a great fit. Let him manage along side a great pitching coach in Dave Duncan, thus easing some of the stress of the actual management position and I think he could be a great both now and for the future of this organization.
Zero experience managing at any level? He managed in the minor leagues before becoming a bench coach for the Cards and managed Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic in 2006 and 2009. How would promoting your third base coach of 12 years to manager be a bigger shake up than hiring an outsider who has also never managed at the big league level?
To add to what you are saying…Oquendo played for a number of years under another great, White Rat…then a few more under Joe Torre, then his long coaching stint under LaRussa, so he has extensive training under three current/future HOF managers. I think that would merit a lot of consideration.
I believe Oquendo has also managed in the Winter League. His managerial experience in the World Baseball Classic has already been mentioned and the fact that he played for Whitey and coached under Tony. That, in my opinion, is a decent list of qualifications. Besides, the organization knows him. Remember when Mo was hired. The Cardinals wanted to go out and get a GM that could transition the organization into the future and they hired from within. Oquendo knows what the organization is looking for and the direction they want to go. Besides, being a first year manager could get him on the cheap salary wise, which is a plus.
I’d say Mozeliak will put careful consideration into everyone that interviews for the Cards managerial position. He won’t hire Oquendo just for continuity’s sake and won’t hire Sandberg just to give an FU to the Cubs. He will pick whoever he thinks will give the Cards the best shot to win and keep winning. I doubt any of us know enough about the candidates to make a wise decision on that without personally interviewing each of them.
I gotta trust that whatever decision Mo makes will be best for the club.
NO ME GUSTA!!!! 🙁
Come on really?! Theo, i heard good things about you but man, at least interview Ryno!! he knows the farm well, he has coached most of them, the guys coming up in the near future won a championship under him. (Daytona) i will be very disappointed if the cubs don’t give him a chance this year. not to mention that he will bring in fans during this dry patch we are about to have!
I’ll trade you 1 Sandberg for 1 Pujols
This just wouldn’t seem right at all. Not that I care or anything.
No! Let the Cubs have him.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Really? I hope this is just us kicking the tires on some old models.
As a Cardinals fan who lives and works in Chicago, I gotta say – if Sandberg gets hired I’ll have the biggest ****-eating grin of all time when walking in to the office…
Haha amen to that. I’m a Cards fan who lives and works in Chicago as well and I think this would be hilarious.
If the Cardinals hire Sandberg then as a cubs fan I will be frustrated, but glad that at least he is getting a chance. I’ve seen him manage at just about every level, and must say he looks to be more than competent..Good luck Ryno, I can’t wait to see the reaction when he comes back to Wrigley, will it be Cheers or Jeers??
Aziz sums my feelings up best:
youtube.com/watch?v=gslOnN3zWmA
I could never wrap my head around Joe Torre being in the Hall of Fame, it makes as much sense to me as Art Howe’s consideration.
WTF?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the Cards give this to Sandberg over Oquendo it would be one hell-ov-a slap in the face.
Not saying Oquendo would be the first choice, but Sandberg shouldn’t be at the top of their list, either.
I hope Mozeliak picks whoever will do the best job. If someone feels that it is a slap in the face because it is not him then so be it.
I think all Cards fan feel the same way. Oquendo has filled in for LaRussa when Tony has been sick or suspended and has seemed to do a good job, but if he’s not right for a full-time manager job then so be it.
Personally it’s a short list of:
1:Francona
2:Madden (if possible, probably not)
3:Oquendo
4: Another Cards bench/Minor League coach (someone mentioned Matheny)
5: Other
Actually, when TLR had shingles, I believe it was bench coach Pettini who filled in as interim manager, not Oquendo. Maybe that says something about how the Cards feel about Oquendo.
You’re right, Pettini did fill in for those games, I forgot about that. I know Oquendo has filled in a lot of other times though.
None the less, good point. Could be a sign.
Although, who assigns that? Tony, or the GM? Just wondering…
Actually it was Kyle Lohse. Bahahahaha
Pulled a Bobby Valentine!
It’d be kinda awkward but at the end of the day, Ryno is an unknown in terms of managing at the ML level. He’s a Cubs legend but if he wants to stick it to us by accepting a managing job with the Cards, I guess that’s his prerogative. He could be great, he could stink. Either way, he’s still the man here in Chicago. I do enjoy the fact that everyone thinks they’re one upping the Cubs though, considering we’ve passed on him to be our manager twice now. We’ve got bigger fish to fry nowadays.
Wow this would be messed up if the Cardinals hire Sandberg.What have Cubs fans done to deserve this.As a Mets fan i use to hate the Cards but damn they had a magical year and put on a great postseason.I use to hate the Cubs in the 80’s but i have got over it.Glad the yanks and Phils didn’t reach the world series.Damn i can’t stand both of those teams.Lets Go Mets
As a Cardinals fan I liked Sandberg growing up and I wish him the best, but I don’t see him getting the job unless some better qualified guys fall through. Personally I would love to see Maddon. You have to check on Francona. I dont care for Riggleman or Valentine. Oquendo has always been a fan favorite and if they are going to go in house they might as well give him a shot. He might not have all the experience but he does have the experience of being with Herzog and LaRussa…. not bad teachers. Whoever gets the job, basically is getting the keys to the Porsche.. you don’t really have to do too much and you have the coaching staff in place if you want to keep the continuity of it.
I kinda have the feeling that this is just a ploy to get the Cubs to hire Sandberg leaving Francona and Maddon to themselves.
Does anyone have a link to Theo’s direct quote regarding big league experience? Everywhere is paraphrasing it the same way so its probably fairly clear, but I’d like to parse the words myself.
mlbtraderumors.com/2011/11/cubs-will-have-new-mana…
Sandberg said he received a call from Epstein saying that he was not in the running for the job.
Guess thats pretty decisive then, thanks
My biggest concern is what does Albert think about this? Who is Albert’s choice to manage? Whoever that is, that is who the Cardinals should go with as the manager.