BUSH LINKS PAST TO PRESENT
Assistant to former GM Hendry playing key role in Epstein’s frontoffice
The Cubs’ front office has envisioned this playoff run for years.
The Cubs’ front office of the past, that is.
But when former general manager Jim Hendry’s tenure ended abruptly in August 2011, playoff dreams seemed as distant and elusive as ever.
The future was unclear then for Randy Bush, Hendry’s assistant since 2007 and a part of the organization as a special assistant, scout and minor- league adviser since 2005.
Bush was named interim general manager for the final months of the 2011 season, keeping a listing ship afloat until Theo Epstein was hired as team president and Jed Hoyer became the new GM.
There was a housecleaning, but Bush was retained, and the Cubs’ new leadership says this season is as much his as theirs.
“Randy has been fantastic for us,” Hoyer said. “He was vital in the transition. When you come in new, every team is different. Every system is different. He helped us out so much.
“And it was clear from Day 1 he wanted to be here. He bought in. He’s been wonderful, and I hope he’s here for a long time.”
Bush said the transition was an emotional time.
“Certainly you always become close to the people you work with every day,” he said. “You feel bad when those things happen, but change happens. It’s a part of baseball. It’s a part of the transition in the game.
“Randy has been fantastic for us. He was vital in the transition. When you come in new, every team is different. Every system is different. He helped us out so much.”
“It’s just a thrill now, this moment in time. What’s been so fun and rewarding is to see the fans’ reaction starting the second half of the season as they’ve gotten excited about this, and obviously that we’re going to have some playoff games now at home. After some down years, it’s great to see that enthusiasm and that interaction our players are having with the fans.”
Bush, 57, experienced it twice as a player on the Minnesota Twins’ World Series champions of 1987 and ’ 91. Some of the young Cubs know that about him.
“Some of them ask me questions about it. Some don’t, and that’s OK,” he said smiling.
“He adds a great perspective as a two- time world champion player,” Hoyer said. “He’s been an ideal fit. He’s got such a wonderful way about him as a person. He’s kind of the consummate teammate. He’ll do anything for us. Any assignment we give him, he does an amazing job.
Bush remembers the “adrenaline rush” that came with playing in the postseason and World Series.
“You can feel that now with these guys,” he said. “There’s so much emotion in the stadiums. We could feel it in Pittsburgh. We felt it in St. Louis. It’s going to be nice to feel it here for our guys at home. It’s going to be really special.”
Would being part of building a World Series team equal having played in one?
“It’ll be fun to find out,” he said with a smile.
Jed Hoyer, Cubs’ general manager, on Randy Bush