Mike Quade Named Cubs Manager

[TallTitan34]

It's official.  Two year deal with a club option for 2013.

[TallTitan34]

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/10/quade-gets-two-year-deal-to-manage-cubs.html

[StillWarriors]

http://www.chicagobreakingsports.com/2010/10/quade-gets-two-year-deal-to-manage-cubs.html

I'm guessing a few months ago the Cubs wouldn't have foreseen this happening. Winning at the end of the year like they did kind of put them in a bit of an uncomfortable position I would think. While I know it is easy to discount winning at the end of the year, it had to create a good vibe around the team and make it difficult to justify not selecting Quade. I'm guessing if they didn't do so well, Quade would not have been a serious candidate and Sandberg would have been a shoo-in so long as Girardi wasn't interested.

[Blue Horseshoe]

I think this is a great hire. Next order of business can Jim Hendry & Crane Kenney.

[GGGG]

This is a good hire for the Cubs.  Their roster is high priced and not very good at this point.  Quade is a low risk option.  If he performs well...then they made a solid choice.  If he doesn't, they can just dump him at low cost and rebuild the roster.

As a Brewer fan, I just hope they continue to use Hendry to build that roster.

[TallTitan34]

The celebrity/retred managers (Baylor, Baker, Piniella) didn't work so why not go with the little know guy?

I just hope that Sandberg will accept a bench coach position to gain some Major League experience.  He was the Minor League coach of the year but I don't think he is ready for the bigs yet.

[Blue Horseshoe]

I disagree about Sandberg. Having him looking over Quade's shoulder only creates unnecessary tension. Maybe someday he will be a formidable major league manager candidate. Right now he needs to get more experience. I've seen way too many sports teams hire fan favorites, in a number of different front office and coaching positions, only to have it backfire (for obvious reasons). Great playing ability is different than great coaching/managing ability.

[TallTitan34]

By all accounts Sandberg is manager material.  He has done a great job in the minors and was even voted AAA Manager of the Year I believe.

He has worked his way through every level of the minors.  What he needs now is Major League experience.  He is not ready to manage yet, however, so a bench coach or base coach spot would be perfect.

I do agree with you though Horseshoe that it would create tension the first time the Cubs lose three in a row.

[Blue Horseshoe]

He has worked his way through every level of the minors.  

4 Whole years of minor league managing experience.

The ONLY reason he is considered a major league candidate is because of his HOF career. I'm glad he has had success managing minor leage baseball, but minor league baseball is NOT about winning. Minor league baseball is about evaluating and developing talent. As a Cubs fan I have to say, I don't think anyone does that better than the Twins.

[MerrittsMustache]

This is a good hire for the Cubs.  Their roster is high priced and not very good at this point.  Quade is a low risk option.  If he performs well...then they made a solid choice.  If he doesn't, they can just dump him at low cost and rebuild the roster.

As a Brewer fan, I just hope they continue to use Hendry to build that roster.

Agreed...except for the part about Hendry sticking around.

Quade is a low-risk, high reward option. The Cubs likely are going to need a couple years to get out from under the mess that Hendry has built. If Quade does well with the mess, he'll get a long-term deal and a chance with the overhauled roster. If he struggles, then he'll be out after 2 years and someone else (possibly Sandberg) will be in with the overhauled roster.

Then again, this is the Cubs so chances are that Quade will have a terrible team, keep them in contention just enough to sign a big money, long-term deal and then everything will unravel with the high-priced, underachieving overhauled roster.

[ChicosBailBonds]

4 Whole years of minor league managing experience.

The ONLY reason he is considered a major league candidate is because of his HOF career. I'm glad he has had success managing minor leage baseball, but minor league baseball is NOT about winning. Minor league baseball is about evaluating and developing talent. As a Cubs fan I have to say, I don't think anyone does that better than the Twins.

Mike Scioscia has one whole year in the minors ( a losing record at that) before we hired him when I was with the Angels.   Some guys just have it.

[Blue Horseshoe]

Why would Sandberg be a good manager?

[MUBurrow]

I think this is good for Ryno even if it doesnt seem like it right now. That roster is awful and needs to be completely turned over.  Chances are that the manager that oversees the beginning of that process won't oversee the end of it.  It seems to me that getting a likeable guy in there right now keeps the seat warm for Ryno while insulating him from some of the inherent problems with the franchise right now. If Ryno really is/has been groomed for this job, to waste him now and have awkward discussions about his future in 3 years seems premature.

[🏀]

The celebrity/retred managers (Baylor, Baker, Piniella) didn't work so why not go with the little know guy?

I just hope that Sandberg will accept a bench coach position to gain some Major League experience.  He was the Minor League coach of the year but I don't think he is ready for the bigs yet.

Sandberg needs to go and get his feet wet elsewhere.

[Blue Horseshoe]

Some guys just have it.

Although that is a generalized sports saying that I hate, Tony La Russa is another example of manager that was hired w/ out extensive experience.

[MerrittsMustache]

Although that is a generalized sports saying that I hate, Tony La Russa is another example of manager that was hired w/ out extensive experience.

At some point in their careers, all managers (good, bad or otherwise) have had no MLB managerial experience.

[ChicosBailBonds]

Although that is a generalized sports saying that I hate, Tony La Russa is another example of manager that was hired w/ out extensive experience.

It may be a generalization, but I truly believe there are some people in business, sports, etc that you just know are going to be a success.  It oozes from them.

[MarquetteFan94]

Ozzie Guillen, Lou Piniella and Joe Girardi......none of them had any managerial experience before getting thier first gig at the MLB level.....saying Sandberg needs more experience isn't necessarily true.  That said, I think Quade was the right decision at this point.

[TallTitan34]

As a Cubs fan I have to say, I don't think anyone does that better than the Twins.

I agree the Twins do it the best.  But then they get bounced from the playoffs in the Divisional Series every year.  I just don't get it.

[Blue Horseshoe]

I agree the Twins do it the best.  But then they get bounced from the playoffs in the Divisional Series every year.  I just don't get it.

By and large by a team w/ a larger payroll and better players, so I don't think that comes as much of a surprise. Although they did get rocked by the A's a few years back, I don't think anyone saw that coming.

[MUBurrow]

I think it just speaks to the way that a great playoff baseball team and a great regular season team can be very different things. And I'm not even talking about mental toughness or any of that kind of thing, just team construction.  The Twins do great with solid interchangeable parts pitching and solid 3-4 tool field players.  In the playoffs, its better to have two great pitchers than four good ones.  In recent memory, the only lock down pitcher the twins have had was johan.  Plus they just don't have the four hitters to string in a lineup and get runs/knock out opposing pitchers.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

I think it just speaks to the way that a great playoff baseball team and a great regular season team can be very different things. And I'm not even talking about mental toughness or any of that kind of thing, just team construction.  The Twins do great with solid interchangeable parts pitching and solid 3-4 tool field players.  In the playoffs, its better to have two great pitchers than four good ones.  In recent memory, the only lock down pitcher the twins have had was johan.  Plus they just don't have the four hitters to string in a lineup and get runs/knock out opposing pitchers.

Agree. It's really about game-changers in the playoffs because every pitch and every AB mean so much. Over 162 games, solid pitching and solid bullpen will win you a lot of games. In the playoffs, you need special pitching and/or a special bullpen.

I think this year's Twins club with a healthy Morneau would could have been a tough playoff team. It would have allowed the Twins to keep Thome or Kubel on the bench, which would have given them a good PH against RH relievers.

Morneau was having a career year before he got hurt and if he stayed healthy and the Twins won the central, he would have been odds on favorite for MVP. His OPS was 1.055 before he got hurt. To put that into perspective, he was leading the league in OPS at the time. It would be like Texas playing without Hamilton against the Yanks. Not impossible, but it changes everything.

Also, rumors in MN are that Mauer was more hurt at the end of the year than he (or the team) led on. Not really sure if that is just a Minnesota excuse (because we love our local boy), or if there is something to it. He sure looked bad in a few of his ABs, and Joe doesn't take a lot of bad ABs... so maybe there is something to it.

There's always next year.

[Dr. Blackheart]

Ryne is the real deal...I spend a lot of time in spring training minor league facilities.  The guy is highly organized, a great teacher, commands a lot of respect, is quiet but professional in that he conveys what it is like to earn your way.  His workouts are super well-organized and no one is taking time off.  He has learned to manage the young pitching staff well such as turning Samardzija around by teaching the kid a second pitch.  More so, he settled Carlos down and turned him around during his stint in the minors.  He has managed the Cubs young stars all the way up the rungs...and has won at each and every level.  He was the perfect hire as the Cubs are going young with his kids.  

Quade is a good baseball man...very organized and has a good mind....but really?  He sat by idly while the old bar sot stood in place on the top step.  And he won a few meaningless games in September.  Quade is very experienced and knows the Cubs history but Hendry hired more of the same.  Hendry passed on Girardi the last time becuase he was outspoken for Old Lou and he again blew this one.  

More so, after a disaster of season that was as un-fan friendly with ticket prices, a roster bogged down with wasted Hendry free agent pick-ups, a left fielder who refuses to catch a ball, and the late season trade-off of the most popular players--the Ricketts absolutely choked up a hair ball on the pr impact of hiring Ryno.  Hendry reupped Rothschild the other day and hired the guy he can control as manager.  Oneri Fleita is the baseball brains in the minor league department who has kept Hendry from the ash can.  So, Quade's two year deal is tied to Hendry's--but it will be two years too late.  

[Blue Horseshoe]

He has learned to manage the young pitching staff well such as turning Samardzija around by teaching the kid a second pitch.  

Quade is a good baseball man...very organized and has a good mind....but really?  He sat by idly while the old bar sot stood in place on the top step.  And he won a few meaningless games in September.  Quade is very experienced and knows the Cubs history but Hendry hired more of the same.  Hendry passed on Girardi the last time becuase he was outspoken for Old Lou and he again blew this one.  

More so, after a disaster of season that was as un-fan friendly with ticket prices, a roster bogged down with wasted Hendry free agent pick-ups, a left fielder who refuses to catch a ball, and the late season trade-off of the most popular players--the Ricketts absolutely choked up a hair ball on the pr impact of hiring Ryno.  Hendry reupped Rothschild the other day and hired the guy he can control as manager.

1. Sandberg never threw a single pitch in his baseball career. Wouldn't a pitching coach work w/ Samardzija?
2. Starlin Castro is the only player deserving of the tag "young star." Sandberg managed him for roughly 2 months.
3. You can't have mutiny in your clubhouse. The manager manages the ball club. period.
4. You'd have to go back to Jim Riggleman as the last time the Cubs did not make a big name hire. More of the same my ass.
5. Don't compare Quade to Girardi (jury is still out if he is a good manager anyway). compare Quade to the men who did NOT get this job.
6. Rothschild has done an ok job with the pitching staff. Pitching wasn't really a problem for the Cubs last season.
7. Most important, Fire Jim Hendry and Crane Kenney. Does it matter who manages the team if you have bums running the show?

[Dr. Blackheart]

I will answer you in the quote box in blue

1. Sandberg never threw a single pitch in his baseball career. Wouldn't a pitching coach work w/ Samardzija?  All of the experts, like Rothschild, mentored and gave up on him.  Hendry vastly over paid for him to keep him out of the NFL.  Brought up too early and was never taught to pitch as he was all smoke with a flat fastball.  They finally exiled him hoping they could use him in a trade...Sandberg taught him a new pitch, taught him to cut his fastball and then lights out.  Coincidence?  Oh, that's right, it was all Quade?
2. Starlin Castro is the only player deserving of the tag "young star." Sandberg managed him for roughly 2 months.  Had him in AA too for a bit....but he also had him pre-season and Arizona league as an instructor.  The group I am talking about is the Cashners, Barney's, Castillio's, all coming up
3. You can't have mutiny in your clubhouse. The manager manages the ball club. period.  ummmm...do you follow the Cubs? There was mutiny in the clubhouse.  Quade was Hendry's lil' toady's college roommate--Randy Bush.  That is why Trammel was named interim.  Also, glad Quade wasn't accountable as a coach as the manager runs the ballclub.  Sounds like a perfect choice--hire and retain the guys in place (as Quade has indicated he Will do) vs. the guy who developed and won with the players of the future...great recipe for success.
4. You'd have to go back to Jim Riggleman as the last time the Cubs did not make a big name hire. More of the same my ass.  Probably the last chance that a HOF player will have to manage. Quade is a shade over .500 as a manager.  Sandberg has won at every level.
5. Don't compare Quade to Girardi (jury is still out if he is a good manager anyway). compare Quade to the men who did NOT get this job.  ummm...Girardi was on the list...told Hendry to go away.  Manager of the years, World Series, team fighting to get back...our jury criteria sound like Chicos for Buzz.
6. Rothschild has done an ok job with the pitching staff. Pitching wasn't really a problem for the Cubs last season.  Hendry's boy...did a great job with Carlos and Jeff, right?  The young pitchers whom Lou threw to the wolves and pitch day after day and then yo yo up between AAA and the majors? 
7. Most important, Fire Jim Hendry and Crane Kenney. Does it matter who manages the team if you have bums running the show?  Crane Kenny does not touch baseball decisions...he is doing he deal on the new Arizona complex.  Hendry's mistakes have been colossal in the $$ hit....amazing that he is still employed.