Although he was apparently not good enough to manage the Milwaukee Brewers or Boston Red Sox, Sveum has being given the biggest challenge in all of baseball: attempt to end a 103-year World Series drought.
The Brewers hitting coach for the past three seasons, he rejoins old pal Theo Epstein, who he worked with in Boston as the third base coach in 2004-05. Sveum was given a three-year deal with a club option for 2015.
Mike Quade, who was barely given a chance, was canned two weeks ago so it was only a matter of time before the new front office (compiled of new President of Baseball Operations Epstein along with former Red Sox executives Jed Hoyer and Jason McLeod) found someone they were familiar with. These guys are more than confident they can get the Cubbies get out of this funk, as is Sveum himself:
"The thing that has to be addressed right away is playing the game the right way on an everyday basis. We have to address some of the problems that caused [a 91-loss season], which is the defense isn't very good, or not enough power, whatever it might be. There's a lot of things when you lose that many games that you have problems with."
Yeah... where do you even begin.
It's not like Sveum didn't have any competition either. Texas Rangers pitching coach Mike Maddux, Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin and Indians bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr. all interviewed for the position. Unfortunately, none of them had ever worked with Epstein in Boston.
[ESPN Chicago]
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Boston Party!
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