The Cubs officially began the hunt for the next manager today, as they gave Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin the first interview. As I mentioned yesterday, the Cubs were granted access to Mackanin, who has been in Philly since 2009.
According to Mackanin himself, the interview kicked off last night with a dinner between him, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer. That's where he began to get bombarded by the "Dream Team" front office.
“They put me through the grinder last night and I couldn’t enjoy my dinner,” Mackanin said. “They covered an awful lot of ground in regards to strategy, type of philosophy, things like that.”
Honestly, that's what you like to hear. If the Cubs are going to find the right guy to be at the helm, then they can't leave any stones unturned, and every question possible needs to be asked. Strategy plays a big role here, as evident with the words of Jed Hoyer on Tuesday when he was introduced. The Cubs are going to be built with the goal of manufacturing runs, rather than banking on Ryan Theriot Tyler Colvin to bail the team out with a three-run homer. Mackanin's been tied to a very statistical style of managing, so it serves Epstein and company well to pepper him.
Now, to play up the feel good vibes, Mackanin is a Chicago native. So, naturally, he tried to win over the media by playing up the Chicago card, and it apparently won over Bruce Levine. Here's how he opened his piece regarding Mackanin's interview, before quoting the interviewee.
Managing the Cubs would be a dream come true for Chicago native Pete Mackanin.
"I grew up in Chicago," Mackanin said Friday. "It would be a thrill to take this Cubs team to the top and be a part of it."
And Muskat...
Mackanin grew up in Chicago, attended Brother Rice High School. He said he had heroes on both sides of town.Link: Carrie Muskat (MLB.com)
“Obviously, now I’m a big Cubs fan,” he said. “It would be really exciting to be part of the Cubs going all the way, to be able to contribute to that and be able to participate in that would be really exciting.”
There you have it. He's a Cub at heart. Sign him now.
