The Chicago Cubs have fired manager Dale Sveum after finishing last in the NL Central for the first time in seven years. The Cubs closed the season dropping 41 of their final 59 games, including six of their final seven. They finished 66-96, and Sveum went 127-197 in his two seasons at the helm. He had one year left on a three-year deal signed before the 2012 season. The move came after a morning meeting with team president Theo Epstein. "Today, we made the very difficult decision to relieve Dale Sveum of his duties as Cubs manager," Epstein said in a statement. "Dale has been a committed leader for this team the last two seasons, and I want to thank him for all of his dedication and hard work." Sveum's job security was undoubtedly hurt by the slow development of shortstop Starlin Castro and first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who appeared to regress this year. His dismissal likely will ramp up speculation surrounding the status of New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi, a Peoria, Ill., native who played at nearby Northwestern. Read more http://espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/story/_/id/9748610/chicago-cubs-fire-manager-dale-sveum-two-years
