DALLAS • The Chicago Cubs probably really aren’t in the Albert
Pujols sweepstakes, but new manager Dale Sveum has a rooting
interest in how it comes out. If the Cubs can’t get him, he doesn’t
want the Cardinals to retain him either, preferring that he wind up
elsewhere in the National League, if not in another league.

Relative to that latter suggestion, Sveum, who has been a coach
with and, briefly, manager of the Milwaukee Brewers over the half
dozen years, said, “That would be nice if we don’t have him (in the
division), no doubt about it. I had to watch it over the last six
years what he can do. And it’s pretty impressive. He’s definitely
the best hitter in baseball right now. What he did in the playoffs
and all that stuff speaks for itself. So … if he’s not with us,
you hope that he’s in another division.”

If the Cubs would sign a free agent first baseman, and that may
not happen, it would seem that Milwaukee slugger Prince Fielder,
who has been with Sveum, would be a more likely choice.

“Like I said in my original press conference, he’s just one of
those special guys that comes around once … in a lifetime,” Sveum
said at baseball’s winter meetings Tuesday.

“He should have played the game in the 1950s and ’60s and ’70s
when guys played every day. They played as hard as they possibly
could every single day. They cared about winning. They cared about
their teammates. And Prince is all those things. He’s just one of
them special guys, who like I said, come around once in a
lifetime.”

When asked if his relationship with Fielder would be a factor in
the “process” of signing Fielder, Sveum, at first, said, “I don’t
know what process you’re talking about exactly. You know there’s
rumors out there and all that but I don’t think that we’ve even
started any talks or anything like that. I think if it ever got
that far, you know, I think there would be the process. But we’re
not in any kind of process talking to him or anything like that
yet.”

Later, though, Sveum agreed he probably would have a role if the
Cubs pursued Fielder more aggressively. “If it ever happened, I’d
probably have a big phone bill to Florida (where Fielder lives),”
said Sveum. “We’re very close. You’d have to find yourself in a
pretty decent role of that.”

Sveum, 48, also had two interviews with Boston for that managing
job but didn’t wait any longer when the Cubs offered him their
position.

“It was basically that time where somebody was going to offer me
a job or not offer me a job,” said Sveum, who managed 12
regular-season games and four more in the playoffs with Milwaukee
as interim manager when Ned Yost was fired late in the 2008
season.

“The Cubs offered me the job first and that’s kind of where it
ended up anyway, after my second interview (with them),” Sveum
said. “After going through all those second interviews, it was just
nice to get one offer.”

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said last week he felt he would have
a team that would compete for a division title next season. And
Sveum, contrary to what some other observers think, said, “We
definitely have the pitching to go out there and compete.

“If you have Carlos (Zambrano) and (Matt) Garza and (Ryan)
Dempster and fill in with the other two guys and have a bullpen
like we do, you have a chance of winning,” said Sveum, who said he
“had a blast” when he managed for those three weeks three years
ago.

“I was very comfortable in that seat,” said Sveum. “A lot of us
want to do things but we never know if we’re going to be
comfortable when it happens. And I was very comfortable when I was
on that hot seat.

“It was more fun than agonizing.”

Sveum, an infielder for 12 seasons in the majors, managed three
years in the Pittsburgh minor league system and coached with the
Red Sox for two years before moving to Milwaukee.

“I’ve done just about everything to prepare for all this,” said
Sveum. “I don’t think (I) will be caught off guard.”

Read More: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs continue their search for a new manager this week and have already determined a field of candidates, but that field just got a tad smaller as former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona told a Chicago radio show earlier on Wednesday that he’s pulled himself out of the running for the job.

Speaking on the “Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000, Francona said that he wanted to take a step back from the game after interviewing for new manager gigs in both Chicago and St. Louis. The Cardinals went in another direction this week by hiring Mike Matheny, while it’s unclear exactly how the Cubs viewed Francona in relation to the other candidates. He mentioned that his interest in the Cardinals gig was very real, but that he’s trying to take a step back now after failing to receive an offer for that job.

To do the job correctly you have to be ready to do it all day every day. I was genuinely excited about the St. Louis job, and when it didn’t happen, it allowed me to step back and rethink and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do now?’ It’s not anything like … the Cubs job is one of the premiere jobs out there. With Theo and [GM Jed Hoyer] there, they’re going to win. May not be tomorrow, but they’re going to win.

Obviously it’s hard to speculate on why Francona is choosing to take some time off, but presumably he’s being honest when it says that it’s mostly just about him trying to relax and get some perspective. Part of me does wonder if he saw the Cubs’ roster, envisioned a long rebuilding period, and decided that he’d rather manage somewhere where he can win now.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago for more information, and for in-depth analysis on the Chicago Cubs be sure to visit Bleed Cubbie Blue. Visit Baseball Nation for more news and notes around the league.

Read More: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs

Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona did not entirely rule out a return to managing this year, but removed himself from consideration for the Chicago Cubs job, telling “The Waddle and Silva Show” on ESPN 1000 he needed to re-energize.

“I don’t know that I can confirm that [report that he won't manage in 2012],” Francona said Wednesday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “I talked to [CSNNE.com] this morning and what I told him was that I did interview in St. Louis. I really did want to. It was a genuine interest on my part. And then when I didn’t get the job I thought it was necessary to step back and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do?’

“I think that is, take a step back, take a deep breath, figure out what I do want to do, so when there is a next time — and I hope there is — I’ll be refreshed and energized so you can do the job that’s necessary. It’s a tough job. At the end of every year, you’re beat up. And at the end of this year, we were all beat up. To do the job right, you have to be all in, and that’s how I feel right now.”

Francona was a candidate to replace Tony LaRussa in St. Louis, but the Cardinals passed on Francona in favor of Mike Matheny. Francona was a candidate in Chicago before removing himself from the equation, saying he doubted he was the right person for the job.

“Me and Theo [Epstein] have talked to so much the past month,” Francona said. “I think he knows how I feel, and I know he feels. Sometimes I just think as close as we are and we’ll always be close, I’m not sure I was the right person for that job right now. You have to be all in, and it has to be the right fit and has to be right fit for them, too. Because of our relationship they were easy conversations.

“To do the job correctly you have to be ready to do it all day every day. I was genuinely excited about the St. Louis job, and when it didn’t happen, it allowed me to step back and rethink and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do now?’ It’s not anything like … the Cubs job is one of the premiere jobs out there. With Theo and [GM Jed Hoyer] there, they’re going to win. May not be tomorrow, but they’re going to win.”

Francona has been approached about broadcasting positions by multiple major networks and said he is intrigued by the possibility.

“I’m going to explore some things in broadcasting and see where it leads,” he said. “It may be a way to stay in the game, enjoy it and also be able to step back and look at things.”

– For more Red Sox coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Over the Monster.    

Read More: Boston Red Sox, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs

Former Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona did not entirely rule out a return to managing this year, but removed himself from consideration for the Chicago Cubs job, telling “The Waddle and Silva Show” on ESPN 1000 he needed to re-energize.

“I don’t know that I can confirm that [report that he won't manage in 2012],” Francona said Wednesday on “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on ESPN 1000. “I talked to [CSNNE.com] this morning and what I told him was that I did interview in St. Louis. I really did want to. It was a genuine interest on my part. And then when I didn’t get the job I thought it was necessary to step back and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do?’

“I think that is, take a step back, take a deep breath, figure out what I do want to do, so when there is a next time — and I hope there is — I’ll be refreshed and energized so you can do the job that’s necessary. It’s a tough job. At the end of every year, you’re beat up. And at the end of this year, we were all beat up. To do the job right, you have to be all in, and that’s how I feel right now.”

Francona was a candidate to replace Tony LaRussa in St. Louis, but the Cardinals passed on Francona in favor of Mike Matheny. Francona was a candidate in Chicago before removing himself from the equation, saying he doubted he was the right person for the job.

“Me and Theo [Epstein] have talked to so much the past month,” Francona said. “I think he knows how I feel, and I know he feels. Sometimes I just think as close as we are and we’ll always be close, I’m not sure I was the right person for that job right now. You have to be all in, and it has to be the right fit and has to be right fit for them, too. Because of our relationship they were easy conversations.

“To do the job correctly you have to be ready to do it all day every day. I was genuinely excited about the St. Louis job, and when it didn’t happen, it allowed me to step back and rethink and, ‘Ok, what do I need to do now?’ It’s not anything like … the Cubs job is one of the premiere jobs out there. With Theo and [GM Jed Hoyer] there, they’re going to win. May not be tomorrow, but they’re going to win.”

Francona has been approached about broadcasting positions by multiple major networks and said he is intrigued by the possibility.

“I’m going to explore some things in broadcasting and see where it leads,” he said. “It may be a way to stay in the game, enjoy it and also be able to step back and look at things.”

– For more Red Sox coverage, visit our team page, or our blog Over the Monster.    

Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks to family, friends, and all of those who have enriched your life over the years.

With the thought of giving thanks in mind, I’d like to offer thanks to those Chicago Cubs players who have enriched my life as a fan of this hard-luck, but always-optimistic team.

Ryne Sandberg

Fair to say, Ryno is tenuously on this list. Ryne Sandberg was my favorite player when I was a kid. Among my first memories as a baseball fan was “The Sandberg Game” on June 23, 1984, the day Ryne Sandberg hit two home runs and had seven RBIs, including a game-winning home run against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Speaking of the hated Cardinals, they’re the reason that I say Sandberg is tenuously on this list. Ryno is said to be speaking to the Cardinals about their managerial opening. Despite the fact that I will never forget the good times, I will be far less thankful for Ryne Sandberg if he becomes the manager of the Cardinals.

Leon Durham

Bull Durham is a personal inclusion on the list. I know many fellow Cubs fans would sooner gouge out an eyeball than be thankful for Leon Durham; memories of the error against the San Diego Padres in the 1984 NLCS are quite powerful. Nevertheless, Bull Durham hit a home run in the first game I ever attended at Wrigley Field. The Cubs lost that day in the summer of 1985, but it’s Durham’s homer that is my lasting memory of that day.

Ernie Banks

Of course, I’m thankful for Mr. Cub. While the angrier fans want to bash the ’69 Cubs for their collapse down the stretch that allowed the “Miracle Mets” to come from behind and knock the Cubs out of the playoffs, I refuse to allow Ernie Banks to be blamed for that. Ernie Banks is a legend, and I will not hear any criticism of the man; even reasonable, rational criticism.

Rick Sutcliffe

Just as Ryne Sandberg gave me one of my earliest baseball memories, so too did Rick Sutcliffe. The trade that brought Rick Sutcliffe to the Cubs from the Cleveland Indians was my first introduction to the concept of the trade, and the first time I became curious about the way the game of baseball worked. That, however, pales in comparison to the memory of Sutcliffe clinching the division title in 1984 with his astonishing 16-1 record and well-deserved Cy Young Award.

Mark Grace

Gracie has proven to be a witty and acerbic voice in the booth for the Arizona Diamondbacks and for Fox Sports, but when we first saw Mark Grace he was just a fresh-faced Rookie of the Year candidate. Grace debuted for the Chicago Cubs in 1988, and while his numbers weren’t spectacular, they were good enough to fuel a passionate debate over whether he or Cincinnati Reds rookie third baseman Chris Sabo should win the Rookie of the Year Award. I will always be thankful for the chance to argue Gracie’s case for Rookie of the Year, an early flicker of the flame that is my love of baseball and the Chicago Cubs.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

CHICAGO —  

There is still no sign of Theo Epstein in Chicago.

It has been more than a week since word leaked that Epstein was headed to Chicago to join the Cubs after nine years with the Boston Red Sox.

It may take even longer for an official announcement.

Major League Baseball prohibits major news announcements during the World Series, which kicks off Wednesday in St. Louis as the Cardinals host the Texas Rangers in Game 1.

A person familiar with the negotiations has told The Associated Press that Epstein has agreed to a contract with the Cubs with a year left on his general manager contract in Boston. The person says compensation issues must be worked out, speaking on condition of anonymity because there has not been an announcement.

Two years ago, a news conference was held to announce that the Ricketts family had acquired the Cubs from Tribune Co. But even that came on a travel day for the World Series teams and it involved a multimillion-dollar deal.

On a cloudy Tuesday near Wrigley Field, the grounds crew was readying the playing field for the winter ahead while other workers repaired lights in the grandstand. No news conference, and no word on Epstein.

The Cubs have declined comment. Red Sox owner John Henry said last week that he wanted Epstein to stay with the Red Sox, while acknowledging the stress of being the Red Sox GM.

If and when Epstein arrives in Chicago, he will have his work cut out for him. The club has chewed up and spit out managers and general managers for decades.

Can Epstein be the guy to end the mind-boggling run of mediocrity, ineptitude, bad luck, strange karma and missed chances, one that has reached 103 years without a World Series winner? Chairman Tom Ricketts apparently thinks so and is ready to hand the 37-year-old Epstein a five-year deal reportedly worth $15 million to $18.5 million.

Epstein was running the Red Sox when they won it all in 2004 to end an 86-year World Series championship drought. And Boston added another title, with Epstein at the helm, three years later.

Once Epstein departs, the Red Sox are expected to announce assistant GM Ben Cherington as his replacement. The Red Sox, who collapsed in September and missed the playoffs for a second straight year, must also find a new manager to replace Terry Francona.

One of the first chores in Chicago is the future of manager Mike Quade, who piloted the team to a 71-91 record in his first full season. He has another year left on his deal.