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| What could have been |
In 1982, a terrible mistake was committed. Contract negotiations between the Phillies and long time shortstop Larry Bowa had broken down, and he was traded to the Chicago Cubs for their shortstop, Ivan Dejesus. That Bowa remains a Philadelphia legend to this day and nobody remembers Dejesus as anything other than a name in a trivia question about this trade should tell you just how bad this trade was to begin with. However, the real travesty is that the Phillies also threw in a minor league prospect to send to Chicago, a young second baseman by the name of Ryne Sandberg, who went on the become a hall of famer and one of the greatest second baseman ever.
Now, in an attempt to right this horrible wrong, Sanberg has returned to the Phillies organization as the manager of the AAA Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. Sanberg was recently named the AAA Manager of the Year after a successful stint as manger of the Cubs' affiliate, and was thought to be one of the front runners to replace Lou Pinella as Cubs manager. Sandberg is a rising star as a manger, and could possibly be groomed as an heir to Charlie Manuel, which would result in the sight that should have been an icon of the 1980's and 90's; Ryne Sandberg in Phillies red.
