PITTSBURGH - Former Curve manager Dale Sveum was named manager of the Chicago Cubs, which is a great opportunity for him.
The Cubs haven't been in a World Series since 1945, and haven't won a championship since 1908.
If Sveum can manage some postseason success there, they'll be naming a street after him.
Sveum, a former Pirates player, had one brief chance to manage. He took over the Milwaukee Brewers when Ned Yost was fired late in the 2008 season. He also handled the Brewers through the playoffs.
But Milwaukee management didn't keep him and hired Ken Macha to manage the team. Sveum put ego aside and went back to his old job as Milwaukee's hitting coach.
When Sveum was released by the New York Yankees in 1998, he stayed with the team as an unofficial coach. When the Pirates cut him loose the next year, general manager Cam Bonifay invented a job to keep Sveum in the organization.
He's a respected baseball man who now gets a chance to turn around one of baseball's flagship franchises.
Don't bet against him. Sveum is the kind of no-nonsense guy the Cubs need to get serious about baseball.
Fuzzy thinking
"Cement head" is a time-honored hockey term for a player who doesn't put a lot of thought into things.
It also applies to some fans.
They're the ones complaining because Sidney Crosby hasn't returned to the lineup since a concussion knocked him out in early January.
A guy called the post-game radio show the other night to complain that Tyler Kennedy had come back after missing 11 games with a concussion.
This presumes that concussions - brain injuries - are the same for everyone. They aren't.
David Perron, a forward who was the St. Louis Blues' first round pick in 2007, was just cleared to practice.
He sustained a concussion on Nov. 4, 2010.
Anyone who thinks Crosby doesn't want to get back as soon as possible should have his own head examined.
On the mark
The May 30 issue of ESPN magazine was labeled "The Busted Issue" on the cover with the headlines, "Sin And Shame On And Off The Field" and "The Most Scandalous Year in College Sports."
Little did they know how accurate that would become with events in November.
Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com
