When it comes to New York and Chicago, there will always be an unsettled debate over who has the best pizza. The dispute on who has a better baseball team, however, has always leaned in New York's favor.
That is something the Cubs are trying to change.
When Lou Piniella announced he was retiring as the Cubs' General Manager after three years at the helm, questions flooded in. Who will replace Sweet Lou as the Cubs' skipper? Piniella has led the team to three consecutive winning seasons, and saw two playoff appearances. That success is something the Cubs' organization is trying to maintain, and they are shopping heavily for a manager who will lead them to their first World Series championship in 102 years.
Enter Joe Girardi.
The current Yankees' manager is native to the Chicago-area, and his contract with New York is up at the end of this season. When Piniella announced his upcoming retirement, Girardi became the top prospect for the Cubbies, and they are pulling out all the stops to bring him back to the Windy City.
While Girardi is not publicly expressing any interest in the vacant position, it is one he has interviewed for in the past. He was a candidate for the job three years ago before Piniella was hired. And those aren't the only ties he has to Wrigley Field.
Not only did he grow up just down the road in Peoria, Girardi also went to Northwestern and played seven MLB seasons with the Cubs. He also shared a passion for the team with his father growing up.
"I grew up a Cub fan," he said on WFAN in New York. "They were my team as a little boy. I used to sit and listen to games with my father in a car. He was a salesman, and I rode with him, and we watched them at home at night when they were on the road."
Of course Girardi has also said he's not letting his hometown ties distract him from his current position managing the Yankees.
"My responsibility is to this organization right now, and to the players in that room," Girardi said "Just like it is for all the other guys who are free agents at the end of the year."
Obviously, Girardi has found success in New York, bringing in the Yanks' 27th World Series trophy in 2009, but there's something enticing about the challenge that the Cubs present. The opportunity to lead the team to their first World Series since 1908 is one that is hard to pass up. Especially when it's Girardi's hometown.
It will be a decision left for the 2010 postseason, but it will be interesting to follow the Yankees' and Cubs' progression in the second half of the season see what the future holds for both clubs.
In the end, it may all come back to the pizza. Will Girardi choose deep dish or thin and crispy?
