Say it ain’t so, Simba
Ted “Simba” Simmons, the former all-star catcher of the Cardinals, says he’d like to manage the archrival Cubs.
“Anybody in baseball in their right mind would have interest in managing here,” Simmons told Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago.com this week during a Padres-Cubs series at Wrigley Field. Article
Simmons, a Padres bench coach, more likely may be a candidate to become manager of the Mariners. Tom Krasovic of fanhouse.com reports that Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik and Simmons “are longtime friends who worked together with the Pirates and the Brewers.” Blog
The Marlins also are considering Simmons as a managerial candidate. Blog
If Simmons, 61, did land with the Cubs, he’d continue a surprisingly rich tradition. Eleven former Cardinals players have managed the Cubs (and that doesn’t count ex-Cardinals coaches, such as Jim Riggleman, Don Baylor and Rene Lachemann, who also have been Cubs managers).
Here’s a look at Cardinals players who became Cubs skippers:
_ Roger Bresnahan: A Hall of Fame catcher, he was player-manager of the Cardinals from 1909-1912. He managed the Cubs in 1915.
_ Rabbit Maranville: He batted .308 for the Cardinals in the 1928 World Series. A Hall of Fame infielder, he managed the Cubs in 1925.
_ Rogers Hornsby: The career .359 hitter played for the Cardinals from 1915-26 and managed them to their first World Series title (1926). He played for the Cubs from 1929-32 and also was their manager from 1930-32.
_ Charlie Grimm: In three stints as Cubs manager (1932-38, 1944-49 and 1960), he led Chicago to pennants in 1935 and 1945. He played first base for the Cardinals in 1918.
_ Jimmie Wilson: A Cardinals catcher from 1929-33, he managed the Cubs from 1941-44.
_ Frankie Frisch: A Hall of Fame second baseman for St. Louis from 1927-37, he managed the Cardinals from 1933-38 and led them to a World Series championship in 1934. He finished a 16-year managerial career by managing the Cubs from 1949-51.
_ Bob Scheffing: The catcher ended his eight-year big-league playing career with the 1951 Cardinals, and began his six-year big-league managerial career by piloting the Cubs from 1957-59.
_ Lou Klein: The former Cardinals infielder (1943-46 and 1949) was part of the doomed college of coaches group that shared managerial duties with the Cubs in 1961 and ’62, and also managed them for most of 1965.
_ Leo Durocher: A shorstop for the Cardinals’ Gashouse Gang team from 1933-37, Durocher managed the Cubs from 1966-72, guiding them to winning records in six of his seven seasons.
_ Whitey Lockman: He replaced Durocher and managed the Cubs from 1972-74. He played just part of the 1956 season for the Cardinals.
_ Herman Franks: He broke into the majors as a Cardinals catcher in 1939, and managed the Cubs from 1977-79.
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