With the departure of Mike Quade as manager of the Chicago Cubs, many Cub fans thought the next logical move would be place a call to former Cub great Ryne Sandberg.  Well, Cubs President of Baseball Operations did just that, placing a call to Sandberg informing him that he did not meet the criteria the Cubs had in mind for their new manager.

In doing so, Epstein did two good things.  First, he killed all speculation about Sandberg in the media and anywhere else.  Second, he saved Sandberg the possibility of having to fire him somewhere down the line.  Hiring Sandberg would be a huge distraction for the Cubs because should he fail, they would have to let him go.  In addition, Sandberg's legacy as a Cub would be tarnished.

If you are confused about the above logic, remember Dennis Savard when he was coach of the Hawks.  When he was fired and replaced by Joel Quenneville, the public was up in arms. But, as it turned out, it was the right move at the right time for the right reasons.  The Q-Stache went on to guide the Hawks to their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

It is my guess that Epstein and his merry band have the next Cub manager's name on speed dial and are greasing the wheels for that to happen right now.  My best guess is it will either be Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum or my first choice for the now filled White Sox job, Tampa Bay bench coach Davey Martinez.

Finally, a quick thought about the deposed manager, Mike Quade.  Sometimes a guy spends over twenty years of his life riding buses in the hope of making it to the show.  Sometimes, he works hard enough to get a crack at a job he always wanted.  And sometimes, no matter how good at his job he might be or how much time and effort he puts in, the cosmic tumblers align in the worst possible configuration. 

Mike Quade may not ever get a chance to manage again, which is sad.  One plus year of running a major league club, then out the garbage chute. I feel your pain, brother.  Been there, done that and have several jackets and t-shirts.