Acta, Renteria, Wedge, Hinch, Lovollo and Martinez are sounds a dry heaving, constipated dog would make as it laid dying in a city park.
There are a few conclusions about the Cubs managerial search:
1) If the Plan was to hire Girardi or bust, Epstein crapped out.
2) If the Plan was to hire another "interim" manager for the next two years until the valuable prospects leave the comfort of Class A to 2016-17 promotions to the majors, that does not sit well with the media or the fans.
3) If the Plan was to find the "next" great manager (like a Girardi or Maddon), then why are the Cubs interviewing candidates that no other team with a vacancy cared to interview?
The fan consensus is that none of the reported names for the next skipper screams confidence.
The Cubs are a bad team. The Cubs will continue to be a bad team. The coaching fraternity is a small group. They are aware that the Cubs job "beats up and wears down" even the most seasoned and experienced managers (like Piniella). Like it or not, fans and the front office may have to come to realize that the Cubs managerial job is not prized possession for any manager who wants to keep his long term legacy in tact.
The next manager must buy into the Plan that the entire future of the major league team is sink or swim with 21 year old prospects in the low minors. The team is not going spend on free agency to field a competitive team in the near term. It is Homegrown or Bust. Many potential candidates who did not interview for the job may not want to be boxed in into such a narrow focus.
However the managerial search ends, it really does not matter in the big picture. This looks to be another caretaker hire.
