Scott Cordischi On Sports: Cubs or Red Sox - Which Is The Better Job?
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
It should come as no surprise that the Red Sox and Cubs, who have yet to agree on a compensation package for Theo Epstein’s departure from Boston, are now involved in another battle. With Theo Epstein now with the Cubs and his former right hand man Ben Cherrington calling the shots in Boston, they are essentially two men of the same mind. This time, they both are apparently interested in making Dale Sveum their next manager.
The former Red Sox third base coach (2004-2005) had a second interview with Boston today and has met with Theo and Cubs brass which is also said to be very interested in his services. Whether or not Sveum is the right guy for either job remains to be seen, but if he is offered both jobs, his decision could speak volumes as to the state of the Boston Red Sox and how the franchise is viewed throughout Major League Baseball.
We in Boston would like to believe that the Red Sox managerial post is a much better job that the Cubs job, but is it?
Both teams play in major markets and have plenty of cash to spend on player payroll so that would appear to be a wash. The two franchises also have passionate fan bases and play in historic ballparks which, again, wouldn’t favor either franchise. But that is where the similarities end.
While the Cubs reside in the same division as the World Champion St. Louis Cardinals, the Red Sox have to bang heads with the New York Yankees. In all due respect to St. Louis, there is not a franchise in all of baseball or professional sports that spends more money on payroll trying to put the best product on the field than New York. They may not always spend that money wisely, but they do spend it making it difficult for everyone in the AL East to keep pace.
The Red Sox have also won 2 championships in the past 7 years which some believe has decreased the passion of Red Sox Nation. It also means that whoever the next manager is, will be expected to compete for more and anything short of that will be viewed as a failure.
In Chicago, the expectations of Cubs’ fans is that of Red Sox fans pre 2004, which is to say one of hope with the expectation of failure. Because of this, any manager who can lead that franchise to their first World Championship since 1908 would probably be memorialized with a statue in the city of Chicago.
Lastly, the Cubs organization – unlike the Red Sox – does not have a reputation for smearing their employees on the way out the door. Any manager, including Dale Sveum, who considers taking the job in Boston has to be asking themselves if it’s worth going to a franchise that fired a manager who won two World Championships when the franchise hadn’t won one in 86 years. Furthermore, that individual would have to have thick skin knowing that someday he will be on the receiving end of some parting shots by this Red Sox ownership group upon his departure from Boston.
If Dale Sveum does, indeed, have his choice of both managerial jobs, his decision will say a lot about the perception of both franchises.
-Friar fans should not underestimate what a great win that was for Ed Cooley and PC when they beat Cooley’s former team Fairfield this week.
-Not that the team’s (2-0) star is any indication of how they will fare in the Big East. Having just returned from the Carrier Dome, Jim Boeheim’s 5th-ranked Syracuse Orange look every bit the part of a top 5 team.
-No pass rush for the Patriots? No problem. Along comes Andre Carter with 4 ½ sacks against the Jets Sunday night.
-Speaking of the Jets, how can Rex Ryan ask other teams to sign up to beat the Patriots when his team hasn’t signed up for the assignment themselves?
-Based upon their opponent’s records, the Patriots have the weakest remaining schedule in the entire NFL.
-6 straight wins for the Bruins has lifted them from 15th to 9th in the NHL’s Eastern Conference standings.
-I think that Rob Gronkowski just caught another touchdown pass against the Jets.
-If David Ortiz is going to allow the Red Sox to match any offer he receives in free agency then he should not be booed by Boston fans if he winds up with the Yankees.
-Mike McQueary’s e-mail to some of his former teammates claiming that he stopped the alleged rape of a young boy by Jerry Sandusky back in 2002 is the definition of damage control.
-It’s amazing to think that Bobby Knight’s NCAA record of 902 career wins was broken by a former player of his – Mike Krzyewski who played for Knight at Army.
-Detroit’s Justin Verlander won the A.L. Cy Young award. Will the A.L. MVP award be next?
-I’m rooting for Tiger to beat Adam Scott in foursome play of the President’s Cup tonight in Australia. Not that I dislike Adam Scott. It’s just his caddie – Steve Williams who needs a big serving of humble pie.
-Former Friar coach Tim Welsh was in Syracuse for ESPNU this week and said that the Orange, “look like an NBA team.”
-Welsh, by the way, is the proud father of a 14-month old boy.
-Do any of these “occupiers” have jobs?
-Tom Brady should be allowed to operate the no-huddle, hurry-up offense any time that he likes.
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