Who Should Be the Next Manager of the Red Sox ?

Ryne Sandberg

It’s time to get serious about identifying a replacement for Bobby Valentine. This chemical experiment has blown up in the lab known as the Boston Red Sox. A lot of Sox fans would like to get someone with a little Red Sox history. A Johnny Pesky type who played for the team and then lead the team, would be ideal but it doesn’t look like there are any serious candidates with those credentials.

Speaking of Pesky, he was as classy as they come and nobody loved his Red Sox more than him. He was like an uncle to many of the Sox players who finally brought World Championships home to Boston. He will be missed by the players, fans and members of the Red Sox organization.

There is a contingent of Red Sox Nation that is willing to waste next year in order to hire John Farrell after his contract expires with Toronto. Farrell, was the pitching coach in Boston from 2006-2010 and had a good relationship with bad boy Josh Beckett. To my mind, it is foolishness to waste another year on a team with so much talent and payroll.

There is someone, that in my opinion, would be a quality Major League Baseball manager and someone whom the players should immediately respect. That guy is Ryne Sandberg. Ryno has stated in Chicago, that he wants to become a Major League manager. He took the hard path to becoming a great manager by hauling his Hall of Fame butt to the minor leagues, with their long bus rides and hard life style. That’s how much he loves and respects baseball. Ryne Sandberg is someone Red Sox Nation could easily learn to love.Terry Francona didn’t have any Red Sox connection before becoming their most successful manager.

Sandberg is arguably, one of the best second baseman of all time, and recorded more than his share of clutch hits. One of his career highlights was hitting two late inning home runs against the Cardinals Bruce Sutter. That is the Bruce Sutter whose split fingered fastball was so unhittable that the great Johnny Bench once bunted against the guy because he was getting nowhere trying to swing at it. The Cubs made a mistake taking a pass on him as their manager. It is very, very rare that Hall of Fame players do the dirty work needed to become a manager. This guy is a diamond in the rough and the management creatures at Yawkey Way would be wise to hire him ASAP.

The great Earl Weaver is a perfect example of someone who paid his dues in the minors to become one of the best managers of all time. Earl won 3 championships in 11 years managing in the minors. Phil Jackson won his first championship as a head coach in the Continental Basketball Association. These all time greats showed evidence of their greatness by consistently succeeding in their respective minor leagues. In the majors, talent wins out the vast majority of the time. However, the minors is where a shrewd smart manager can win many games using his leadership acumen.

Sandberg’s career as a minor league manager is impressive. In his first job, he led the Class A Peoria Chiefs to the Midwest League Championship game in 2006. In 2010, he led the AAA Iowa Cubs to an 82-62 record. For this he was named Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year. After being passed over for Chicago Cubs manager, he went to the organization that originally drafted him, the Phillies. He led the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs to their first ever playoff appearance and the International League Championship series. This guy can manage and the Red Sox would be damn lucky to get him.