I don't often write about the Cubs, but given the news yesterday, I can't resist.  Let's clear a few things off the table first.

• I don't begrudge Lou Piniella one iota for walking away.  Unlike Tampa Bay where he legitimately lost interest, I think he he's leaving on his own terms. I also believe that he made some promises to his family when he took the Cubs job.  I think Lou wants to leave before he keels over in the dugout.  Lou has made some wise investments, so money is not an issue.  Good luck, Lou.  You were fun to watch.  Except of course if you are Rob Dibble.
• Tom Ricketts has his first crisis.  So far, I don't like the way it's going down.  Love him or loathe him, Cub fans, Jim Hendry is going to be around awhile.  The rub is Ricketts wants to involve Crane Kenney, the team president in the search. Kenny is a bean counter, not a baseball man and his input will most likely being annoying to Hendry.  Kenney's involvment is like taking your mother in law with you to buy furniture. It seems Ricketts wants to set both of them up so that if the new guy is unsuccessful, the skids are greased for both of them. For all of those years that Cub fans berated the Trib ownership, now is the first acid test for the new regime.  The honeymoon is officially over for the Ricketts family.
• Cub fans will not be happy no matter who the Cubs choose.  First there was the Dusty euphoria of 2003 which lasted one season.  Then, the Louphoria of 2007 and 2008 before the big thud in the 2008 playoffs.  Several Cub fans will not be sad to see Lou go which makes them not very smart.  But then again, they are the same people that still have a BOLO out for Steve Bartman.

Now that we've established those thoughts, let's move on to the candidates. 

Here's who it won't be

• Joe Girardi-Sure, he may be a Cub at heart, but he's got a great gig in New York and the Steinbrenners get what they want.  Girardi will be rewarded handsomely after the season, especially if the Yankees win the world series again.
• Ozzie Guillen-Not a snowball's chance in hell on both sides.  White Sox fans would burn down both Wrigley Field and U.S. Commiskey Park if this actually went down. I think Jerry Reinsdorf would personally drive a Brink's truck to Ozzie's house (with Kenny Williams riding shotgun) before he ever let Ozzie escape to the dark north side. Besides, if Ozzie were to leave (which is unlikely), he'd head for Florida.
• Tony LaRussa-His options are limited if he leaves St. Louis.  He probably won't go back to the American League (unless Ozzie jumps ship for Florida, which at this point is unlikely) and the teams he could go to (that would be able to win right away) probably are few and far between.  I think the Genius is at a point where he would prefer some kind of off the field gig, like being President of the White Sox.  Kenny Williams would love that, I'm sure.
• Bob Brenly-He caught lightning in a bottle in 2001, but not a whole lot after that.  He's more valuable to the Cubs where he is, as part of a really good TV booth.
• Alan Trammel-His odds are as good as Ozzie's.  After his three disastrous seasons in Detroit, it would be hard to toss him the keys.  Good baseball guy, but probably will spend the rest of his career as a coach.
• Bobby Valentine-I just don't see it.  I think he'll always be remembered for the disguise in the dugout moment with the Mets, which makes him a permanent member of the ass clown list.  That and the way he suddenly turned tail and ran from Florida after a deal was allegedly in place.

Here's who it could be

• Joe Torre-With the McCourt ownership up in the air and Torre a free agent at the end of the year, he meets all of Jim Hendry's criteria.  He's a big name, he's had a track record of success and he's been to the world series on multiple occasions and has the rings to prove it!).  I'd hire him for three years, stipulating that Ryne Sandberg be his bench coach and at the end of the three years, Ryno takes over, ala Jimbo Fisher.  This would solve a lot of the Cubs problems in that the fans who love and worship Sandberg would know that come 2013, their boy would be the man. Plus, having spent all those years in New York and the last few in L.A., how tough could Chicago be for Torre?
• Ryne Sandberg-There are good arguments for and against him.  He's got some experience managing in the minors and knows the Cubs youngsters.  He probably won't have a problem with a younger, less veteran based team.  When Ozzie took over the White Sox, people were freaked out because of his previous ties to the team and his lack of experience (even though he had been a successful third base coach on a world series winning team.)  Yet, Ozzie has done a terrific job for the Sox.  On the down side, Ryno should have a long talk with Alan Trammel about his Detroit experience and how you can go from an icon to getting run out of town.  I also wonder if Sandberg has the personality to be under the microscope.  One other point against him: Hall of famers seldom make winning major league managers.  Just asked the decapitated head of Ted Williams.  Seriously, name one hall of fame player managing today who is wildly successful.  I'm waiting. Of course, there is one major exception to the "hall of famers can't coach" rule.  Perhaps you've heard of him: Some guy named Ditka. But then again, that's football, not baseball.
• Eric Wedge-This is my darkhorse.  He did a nice job in Cleveland before management sold off the important parts of the team.  I think he's a good manager who would bring a fresh perspective to the team.

No matter who the Cubs hire, they will have to deal with the abundance of day games and whatever curses are perceived by the fan base.  As Piniella said yesterday, it's a tough job, especially when you don't win due to the expectations of the fans, which sometimes are a bit on the overzealous side.