It was often speculated that Ryne Sandberg, the Hall of Fame second baseman, would be Lou Piniella’s successor when the Chicago Cubs finally decided to name the team’s next manager.
When they chose Mike Quade, however, Sandberg said in a recent interview on “The Waddle And Silvy Show" that he was “disappointed” that he wasn’t able to get the job.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed,” Sandberg said. "They told me it went down to the wire, and I was one of the last two guys standing and they made their decision. It’s a disappointing day for sure.
“Right now it’s digesting everything and just kind of change the wheels and turn in a different direction. I was focused on something and today it’s just taking it all in. I spent the four years in the minor leagues to manage at the major league level, so I think that’s where my heart is, and that’s where my next step is. I think that’s where I look next.”
Sandberg had spent the last four seasons as a manager in the Cubs’ minor league system and was named the International League manager of the year this past season with Class AAA Iowa.
Interestingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, Sandberg isn’t committing himself to a return to the Cubs.
With several managerial openings around baseball, Sandberg hopes to get a chance somewhere else. Asked if he would return to the Triple-A Iowa job if he doesn’t get a major league job, Sandberg declined to speculate.
“I’m just going by the phone call that I got that said I was not the guy and that was the end of the story,” Sandberg said. “I don’t know. I have no idea. There was nothing to lead me otherwise. I still have the ambitions to do this at the major league level and after some digesting and seeing if some other opportunities come about, listen to those opportunities and take it from there.”