Mike Quade Doing His Best To Impress

When former Cubs manager Lou Piniella first stepped down as Cubs manager and retired, the Chicago Cubs decided to bypass Alan Trammell and name then third base coach Mike Quade interim manager for the rest of the season. Not too much was known about Quade at the time, and many felt that he would just be hear to finish the year and then go back to being a third base coach for the Chicago Cubs. However, Quade is making sure that Cubs management notice him while he is filling in.

The Chicago Cubs are 16-7 under Mike Quade since he has taken over for Lou Piniella in late august. In fact the Chicago Cubs are currently on a 5 game winning streak, which included a sweep against the St Louis Cardinals. The 5 game winning streak, marks the longest of such this season.

Ever since Quade has taken over, you can see that there is an obvious change in how the players are going about their business. It seems as if the Cubs players are inspired from what they have learned under Mike Quade, and are showing those improvements by how they play on the field.

It also appears that General Manager Jim Hendry has taken close notice of how well the Cubs are performing under Quade. Hendry likes the way Quade has handled some of the young players specifically Starlin Castro, when he was benched by Quade for a couple of games after making a few lapses in back to back to games. The Chicago Cubs are looking for a manager who isn’t afraid to discipline players if it is for the greater good. Something Quade has already showed he isn’t afraid to do.

However, I am not sure how much of a chance Quade has of actually becoming the permanent Cubs manager. While players such as Alfonso Soriano, Ryan Dempster, and Aramis Ramirez have come out in support of Quade there still is a general feeling that the Cubs prefer to hire someone from outside of the organization.  But If Quade keeps leading the Cubs to victory in the closing weeks of the season, I’m sure his chances will increase.