Upper Management

When I initially heard that the Cubs removed the interim label on Mike Quade and gave him a full-time position, it felt like Mike was a 22 year old, recent college grad who had been intensely filing documents and stuffing envelopes all summer to get the full time gig at a company he never really dreamed would employ him. In the end, that's exactly what Mike Quade's rise to prominence in Cubbie blue has become, except of course that Quade's not 22, he's 53 going on 90. I guess that's what 16 years in the minor leagues riding buses from Macon, GA to Scranton, PA trying to explain how to calculate Slugging % to every mid level prospect will do to a man. Obviously, Quade wasn't the home-run signing that most Cub fans longed for in their next manager, but perhaps he's just what the Cubs need. Not a guy who is going to make national headlines, but someone who goes about the nature of his business in his own way and finds the success that he deserves. Mike Quade is a journeyman. Whenever you manage a baseball team referred to as the Vancouver Canadians, who don't display their talents on a sheet of ice, and then go on to manage a team with a history (good or bad, it's still history) like the Chicago Cubs, that's the only way the sports glossary can describe you.

In reality, Quade's got a little bit of everything the Cubs wanted in their new skipper. Fans babbled about how Joe Girardi was perfect because he was the hometown hero. He grew up as a Cub fan, went to Northwestern, came up in the Cubs system, and now the opportunity was there for him to become the next manager. But Mike Quade is not far off that path. He was born in Evanston, went to Prospect High School (shout out to my main man, Jeff Heiden), took a detour to the University of New Orleans so he could check out some boobs at the mardi gras parade while he was still in his prime, and gave a run at an MLB career that got him about as far as the entire cast of Major League: Back to the Minors. Cub fans also adored Ryne Sandberg's label as a "players manager". Oh, how he was masterful at winning games in AAA Iowa. Give me a break, Wavin' Wendell Kim could have won a pennant with the talent that Ryno had in Des Moines (Colvin, Jake Fox, Hoffpauir, all in the last 2 years). His only pro experience was being on a dozen Cub teams that were mediocre in the mid 90's before about 7,000 fans a game.

Mike Quade is not going to be the kind of guy who plays Kosuke in right every day because he wants free takeout from Chens on Clark. He's not going to tolerate Soriano loafing towards a double in the gap and then proceeding to bitch-arm it back to the cut-off man. As evidenced by his late season benching of Starlin Castro, those days are over. The Cubs aren't going to clear their bank accounts this year so they can add more 'left handed power' or a 'veteran starter' like the desperate guy who tracked down Demi Moore in Striptease. They have the pieces around them. There's no doubt about it. Maybe for once the Cubs will string together a season prided on team chemistry and timely hitting rather than another over indulgence in Home Runs and ERA. Maybe Mike Quade's irrepressible nature will rub off on the royal blue pinstripers. Then again, maybe not. They are still the Cubs.

Pick of the Day: Phillies @ Giants- PHILLIES(+105)

Record:(25-19-0)

Now I'm done. Rack me

Frost