Cubs Notes & Rumors: Sveum Story, Different Day

Dale Sveum's introductory press conference was today and most of the current action around the Cubs is centered around that, however, there are a few gems about a potential move for Fielder and the use of statistical analysis:

• Cubs hired an authentic manager - chicagotribune.com
  But of all the first impressions the 47-year-old Sveum made, the line I still will remember when he takes the field next April for his first game in a Cubs uniform came in response to the inevitable question about day baseball and cramped quarters. "Excuses are just copouts for your own insecurities,’’ Sveum said.

• Cubs Talking to Incumbent Coaching Staff - @BruceMiles2112
  "Cubs will begin talking to incumbent coaches today. Staff likely won't be finalized until after Thanksgiving."

• Sveum on Castro, Z & Marmol - Carrie Muskat
  Dale Sveum talks about Starlin Castro, Carlos Zambrano, and Carlos Marmol...mostly non-answers about working with them and setting them up to succeed.
  
• The "wow" moment - Carrie Muskat
  "Dale provided extremely well thought out answers to nuanced baseball questions instantaneously, answer after answer after answer," Epstein said. "We came up for air and took a break and looked at each other and said ‘Wow.’ This was not the type of thing you could fake. It wasn’t that he prepared for the interview but he spent a lifetime as a very intelligent person observing the game with an open mind to come up with his own baseball philosophy on how to win and it was very impressive."
• Will Fielder follow Sveum to Cubs? - chicagotribune.com
  "You would like to have all of the great free agents that are out there," Sveum said. "But we’re trying to do something in Chicago to build now and win right now, but be smart about it, too." <-- translation: "no comment."

• Dale Sveum Will Not Give Great News Conferences - Bleed Cubbie Blue
  "Regarding the use of statistical analysis, Sveum made a nod toward sample sizes, and stressed that their use gives you "options". That's all you can really ask; once you get into a certain situation in a game, all the numbers in the world aren't going to help you. It seems as if that type of analysis is going to be used more by Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer in helping put together a roster."
• What about Maddux? - chicagotribune.com
  "Mike was a really strong candidate,’’ Epstein said. "We expended a lot of time talking with him about the job. With Mike, there were more questions from the start about the possible fit here and if it would work for him. There were a lot of factors that we didn’t have with other candidates. Mike is capable of being a manager. It was just a matter of fit and timing.’’