Harvey Keitel has a great role in the movie Pulp Fiction. He plays “Winston/Mr. Wolf,” a guy that specializes in cleaning up your mess. While I previously compared Theo Epstein to a North Side version of Obama, Theo could also be compared to Mr. Wolf.
He’s here to clean up the mess; he’s here to make things better within whatever time frame the fans will allow him.
When the Cubs were still in the process of their GM search, I submitted my offseason to-do list for the organization. The list consists of hiring a GM, firing Mike Quade and hiring a new manager, acquiring new players, building up the farm system, permanently benching Alfonso Soriano and developing the Triangle Building.
#1 is done and #2 is currently in motion with Theo/Mr.Wolf officially relieving Mike Quade of his duties.
I want Bob Brenly to manage the Cubs as I believe his philosophy would be a great fit for the new Cubs era.
After a new manager is hired, it’s on to #3 with Theo and GM Jed Hoyer acquiring new players and cutting ties with others. With #3, it will be time for “Mr. Wolf” to make Aramis Ramirez, Carlos Zambrano and Carlos Pena all disappear. As Theo said about Big Z, “I think the best organizations get the most out of their players, even the ones that might be harder to get the most out of it. But the best organizations also know when it’s time to move on.”
As Winston Wolf said, “Just because you are a character doesn’t mean that you have character.”
Here’s to completing more of the offseason to-do list.
Who do you want to be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs? Let me know in the comments section.
Brian Tarman is a RedEye blogger. If you’re interested in reading even more about the Cubs and other topics, head over to Brian Tarman’s personal blog, The Clark and Addison Street Journal. Also, follow him on Twitter- @TarmanBrian.