Many have speculated that Chicago Cubs front office men Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer have kept former Red Sox manager Terry Francona in the running for the Cubs' managerial spot, but in Friday's column for the Chicago Tribune, reporter Dave van Dyck added some extra fuel to that fire:
For his part, Francona says he is 'trying to stay under the radar' with his unspoken candidacy, but a source very close to him says 'deep down' he badly wants to manage the Cubs - for whom he played in 1986 while falling in love with Wrigley Field - and has told Epstein so.
Francona interviewed formally for the managerial position with the Cardinals on Thursday, but Epstein has no such interview would even be needed with the Cubs, considering the two men worked together so closely with the Red Sox.
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