After two disappointing seasons at the helm, the Chicago Cubs have fired Dale Sveum, and will be looking for a “proven leader” as his replacement.
Cubs President Theo Epstein announced the news in a statement released Monday , “Today, we made the very difficult decision to relieve Dale Sveum of his duties as Cubs manager. Dale has been a committed leader for this team the last two seasons, and I want to thank him for all of his dedication and hard work.”
Under Dale Sveum, the Chicago Cubs went 127-197, finishing in last place in the NL Central both years. Chicago’s 2013 season ended with a whimper, losing 14 of their last 18. Still, as early as a few days ago, the Cubs claimed there was no reason to believe Sveum’s job was in danger .
Oh those tricky, and entirely see though higher ups. Of course Sveum’s job was in danger!
Dale Svuem took over a bad team and made them worse. In 2011, the Chicago Cubs won 71 games. In Sveum’s first season, 2012, the team won 61 games. The 66 games the Cubs won in 2013 is barely an improvement.
With Sveum gone, it would make sense for the Chicago Cubs to go after New York Yankees manager Girardi, a Chicago native with a World Series ring on his finger. Girardi, whose contract is up, wants to stay in New York though, and probably will.
Svuem, disappointed with his tenure in Chicago, said, “I wish it could have lasted longer, but we do all these jobs to be fired. Unfortunately, this happened quick. (Losing) wears on you, but you knew going in it was going to be a process. We just weren’t able to pull it off and get to another level.”
Do you think Dale Sveum should have been fired by the Chicago Cubs?
[image via Wikimedia Commons ]