Cubs need a veteran manager with support

The other day I threw out some crazy names for the Chicago Cubs manager search.

How about Yogi Berra, seasoned to perfection and an ultimate winner, or the 90-year-old Red Schoendienst, who has been with the St. Louis Cardinals organization for over 70 years?

I even tossed out some top 16-inch softball managers I’ve known because I believe they could manage the Cubs.

Now I think it’s time for Theo Epstein, president of Baseball Operations, and Jed Hoyer, the Cubs vice president and general manager, to reach out to the fan base and explain again why they let go of former manager Dale Sveum.

I have coached high school basketball for the last six years at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles. The first year on the night of the season opener, I asked head coach Tom Les, “Are we going to win tonight, coach?” He responded, “We should, but we aren’t playing — the kids are.”

Well, the same thing goes for college sports or the pros. The bottom line is you are only as good as your talent.

If Tom Brady never gets the opportunity to play for New England and Drew Bledsoe stays the starter, would we still be saying Bill Belichick is a genius after he got nominal results at other jobs and was fired by the Cleveland Browns?

Or how about the great manager of the Boston Red Sox, John Farrell? He was probably equally as good in Toronto, but he didn’t have the best talent.

The Cubs arrogantly believed Joe Girardi would leave the New York Yankees to manage the Cubs, and I don’t believe they had a back up plan in place.

If you brought in Tony LaRussa, Jim Leyland, Charlie Manuel or Frank Robinson to manage this team you might be better, but the talent base says otherwise.

I don’t know Tom Ricketts, but I can imagine when he used to sit in the bleachers growing up he had ideas of what he would do if he ever owned the Cubs. Almost any baseball fan has thought about the moves he would make if he was in charge.

I know I have. I know one move I wouldn’t make — I wouldn’t have a coaching staff in place before I hired my manager. I would target an experienced guy, not go from teacher to teacher.

The Cubs need a veteran manager who has backing of the management. It just looks like it was a bad idea to fire Sveum, who will manage again in the major leagues. Who knows what will happen if he gets with a team with talent, but he may win.

At the end of the day, it’s still about who your players are and not how much you know.

Program notes:I will be filling in today (Tuesday) on Fox Sports radio from 6-9 p.m. I will also be filling in Thursday from 6-9 p.m., and you can catch me with my regular schedule of 6-9 p.m. Saturday and 9 p.m. to midnight Sundayon iHeart radio or Fox Sports radio.Watch The Mike North Pregame Show from 10 a.m. to noon Sunday on WIND 560-AM The Answer.Ÿ Mike North#146;s column appears each Tuesday and Friday in the Daily Herald, and his video commentary can be found Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at dailyherald.com. For more, visit northtonorth.com, and catch him on Twitter @north2north.