Ryne Sandberg showed up at Tuesday’s expansion draft and reiterated he had wanted to remain with the Cubs as a spring-training instructor and a club spokesman, but the Cubs told him to take a hike, or words to that effect.
The future Hall of Famer insisted that before his retirement last September, he told agent Jim Turner to inform Cubs management of his desire to stay with the organization, “but he told me they were not interested.”
More Top Picks Best Brooks Shoes For Walking
Sandberg. who lives in nearby Tempe, said he “would consider it” if the expansion Arizona Diamondbacks approached him with similar employment opportunities.
The Cubs’ perennial All-Star seems happy in retirement and has been growing a goatee at the behest of his five teenage children. It seems they were watching the World Series on television and “it seemed like every other player has one, and so they talked me into doing it.”
Accompanied by his wife, Margaret, Sandberg said he was attending the expansion draft because he has been following the progress of the Diamondbacks.
“I have been watching their new stadium go up,” he said.
Selig report: Acting commissioner Bud Selig, who presided during the first round of the expansion draft, indicated the format for the divisional playoffs is likely to be changed in time for the 1998 season.
Instead of the existing 2-3 schedule, the general managers at their annual meeting here last week recommended it be changed to 2-2-1. The teams with the best records would be host for the first two games along with the fifth game. “I love the 2-2-1,” Selig said. “It’s something (the owners) all like.”
This possibility was discussed Monday night during a lengthy meeting of the Executive Council. The matter was tabled, but Selig said a decision would be made at the owners’ general meeting in January “or before.”
The general managers’ recommendation that the divisional series (the first round) be expanded from five to seven games didn’t get much favorable response.
“A seven-game playoff has its pluses and minuses,” Selig acknowledged.
The biggest negative factor would be the necessity of shortening the 162-game regular season. “There has been talk of shortening the season to 154, 156 or 158 games,” Selig reported. “There are intense feelings on both sides. I believe a shorter season would be the most beneficial.”
Selig also said negotiations with the television networks are in progress and that among the principal topics is starting postseason games earlier. The networks are also against lengthening the first-round playoff action to seven games.
Times have changed: The expansion draft, which used to be a simple affair, has gone Hollywood. Tuesday night’s lengthy doings were an attempt to pacify ESPN, which covered the action for virtually five hours, not counting the timeouts between the first two rounds.
Each team was allowed 4 minutes before making a selection. During this time, the TV experts discussed the choices. In addition there were film clips, some significant to the occasion, others not.
Bill Cutler, 77, who is retiring after a 50-year career in which he held a variety of baseball administrative executive positions, expressed surprise with the new format.
“I remember the first one, in ’61, was held in one room in Boston, in Joe Cronin’s office,” Butler said, referring to the late American League president. “There were only four or five people from each expansion team. It was over in a half-hour, 45 minutes at the most.”
Startling development: The biggest surprise, from a Chicago view, was the loss of White Sox catcher Jorge Fabregas. He was left unprotected and selected in the first round by Arizona. Fabregas, 27, was the everyday Sox catcher and had a good year.
“I’m not worried,” said Sox General Manager Ron Schueler. “We wanted to go younger.”
Unless they deal for a catcher, the Sox will go to spring training without an experienced front-line or backup catcher.