The narrative is a familiar one, and Sandberg tries to deflect attention with clichés.
"There's only 30 jobs out there," he said.
"Relationships are a big part of it," he said.
"You have to be at the right place at the right time," he said.
So what does Sandberg have left to do before he can become a major-league manager?
"Just have the phone call," Sandberg said. "Let the phone ring."
Now the onetime hard-nosed Chicago Cubs second baseman comes out of the tie-and-suit shell and the public face he has adopted. He smiles, willing to admit he's done everything (and more) to be one of those 30 men.
Instead, he will manage the triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs in 2012.
"I like where I'm at," Sandberg said. "I like the organization. I really fit in real easily. I was impressed last year. I continued to be impressed with everything, top to bottom, how things are run. Everybody does their job and it's all to win baseball games in Philadelphia. That's right up my alley."
There was no wink after that statement, but it's impossible for Sandberg to not have considered every scenario in his mind. Connecting the dots is easy: Manuel, 68, has two years remaining on his contract, and barring a change in thinking, he will likely retire after the 2013 season.
Sandberg would be 54 and more than ready to succeed the greatest manager in franchise history. By then, he will have spent time with a significant amount of the organization's minor-league talent, as well as some of the major-league players.
