Oh, Ryno, Give Us One More Chance

In the romantic comedy movie that is the Chicago Cubs/Ryne Sandberg relationship, it's just about time for the Cubs to stand outside Ryno's window, blast Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" from an old boom box, and ask for another chance.

Last October — to the shock of many — the Chicago Cubs announced that Mike Quade would succeed Lou Piniella as manager of the team. Sandberg, who had been patiently biding his time working through the farm system, was understandably disappointed.

"There was no other job offering other than, 'We'd like you to come to spring training, hit a couple of fungoes and walk around.' At that point, I knew it was time to move on," Sandberg said in an interview the Chicago Sun-Times.

He certainly made the best of a bad situation. Almost immediately, he was offered the managerial position for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. A relatively new franchise, the IronPigs had never finished above .500 in their brief existence.

Enter Sandberg.

Currently in his fifth season managing minor league ball teams, Sandberg's IronPigs finished 16 games above .500 at 80-64, second place in the International League. In fact, Sandberg has only finished below .500 in one of his five seasons managing (2008, Peoria). His final season as a manager in the Cubs farm system was one in which the Iowa Cubs finished a healthy 82-62, first place in the Pacific Coast League. That season earned Ryno the 2010 Minor League Manager of the Year honor.

Quade, on the other hand, has suffered through a nightmare season at Wrigley Field, his 24-13 interim stint in 2010 now long forgotten. Sitting at 65-85 — a whopping 22 games behind the surprising Milwaukee Brewers — Sandberg probably couldn't have done much to change the fate of an aging team marred by injuries, lackadaisical play, and a notable outburst by a former "ace." Mike Quade has handled the adversity with grace and as much patience as a competitive man can possibly display. He has done very little to lose his job, but he has done equally as little to argue it should remain his.

The time is now for the Cubs to hand the reins to Ryno.

It's as though the Cubs are a man going through an identity crisis. They chose to date the sexy, unknown girl (Quade) instead of the other (Sandberg) who had already cared for them in joyous times (mid-to-late-'80s), depressing times (early-'90s), and hopeless times (1997). The longtime friend became a confidante for the organization (agreeing to manage low-level affiliates), without ever asking for anything in return — other than a chance to be considered in the end.

Sandberg's love seemed to have gone unrequited, but it may have been a blessing in disguise.

Had the 2011 Cubs hired Sandberg, he would have been inundated with, "should they have gone with Quade?" questions, injuries to several key contributors, and a dismal team chemistry that never seemed to jell. It was a situation primed for failure.

But now, through no real fault of Quade's, it seems time to cut ties with this unknown girl (who wasn't a bad person, the Cubs just ended up realizing she wasn't the one), and make an offer Sandberg can't refuse.

I know the main critique: experience. The irony as always with this critique is that everyone needs experience in order to get experience. Looking at Sandberg's .516 career winning percentage over five minor league seasons, his healthy rapport with many of the Cubs' current minor- and major-leaguers (second baseman Darwin Barney said he'd by "lying" if he said he wouldn't want to play for him in the bigs), and his sheer desire to manage, it is hard to deny that he deserves the opportunity. The guy knows what he's doing.

Couple all of the aforementioned details with the fact that Sandberg is a Cub. This isn't someone who is up for a "challenge." This is someone who loves the team. He wants them to win — not for his legacy — but for Wrigley, for the fans, for the city of Chicago. Look what happened when Ditka (a former Bear) coached Da Bears … when Ozzie Guillen managed the Sox … I'm not suggesting a championship is guaranteed in hiring a former player, but I am asserting that the motivation of a legacy to win comes from somewhere deeper than mere competitive juice.

No romantic movies ever end with minor gestures. This one shouldn't, either. If the Cubs want to have the best shot to return to prominence in the next three to five years, they need to make Ryno their next manager.

If he'll take them back.