Quade gets his chance to run the team -- maybe for a while

Mike Quade called it a "strange day."

Actually, that strange day started Saturday night when he found out Cubs manager Lou Piniella would be going home Sunday and the Cubs wanted Quade to take over for the rest of the season.

"I really sat in my chair and just looked out the window for quite awhile last night," Quade said Sunday, not too far from the third-base coaching box he's been manning since 2007 under Piniella. "I'm on no sleep, and I've got a job to do today. I did call my folks. That was a great conversation."

Quade, 53, a native of Evanston and a 1975 graduate of Prospect High School in Mount Prospect, will assume his new duties beginning with Monday night's game at Washington. He'll also be a candidate for the permanent job when general manager Jim Hendry begins interviewing candidates with the hope of naming a new manager before the organization meetings in early November.

The Cubs bypassed bench coach Alan Trammell for the job to succeed Piniella for now, and he will not be a candidate going forward. He will remain as Quade's bench coach.

"I'm sure your first question will be, 'Why not Alan?'" Hendry said. "Alan's a tremendous human being, quality, quality person, outstanding coach. I spoke to Alan this morning, and I basically told Alan that over the last few weeks, I've made a decision in the process moving forward that Alan would not be considered for the managerial job after this year. I had a very great conversation with him this morning. He understood that.

"He has a very close relationship with Mike. He's happy for Mike, and he wants to stay and help Mike, and Mike certainly had no problem with that. Tremendously classy man. Obviously, the decision I made was that if he wasn't going to be the next manager next year and I had already come to that conclusion, that we would be better served not having him be the manager for the remainder of the season."

Quade had things do to Sunday.

"A clinic at 8:30, a simulated game at 10, batting practice- probably not the way you envision it," he said. "I've got to thank Jim and the front office and the Ricketts family for giving (me) an opportunity. Probably first and foremost, I should thank Lou because without him, my life is in a whole different place."

Quade has no big-league managerial experience, but he's not a neophyte.

He has 19 years of coaching experience in the minor leagues, including 17 as a manager. He compiled a record of 1,213-1,165 as a minor-league manager. Included were four years as manager of the Cubs' Class AAA Iowa farm club, which he directed to first-place finishes twice.

Quade became the Cubs' third-base coach in 2007, Piniella's first year as manager. He also logged time in the big leagues with the Oakland Athletics as their first-base coach from 2000-02.

Being from the Chicago area, he said, makes having this job special.

"Yeah, it is," he said. "I don't know how many people know that (he's from the area). I'm also curious about whether people will pronounce my name right (KWAH-dee). Just to come here and coach and now to get this opportunity is great.

"Heck, if I started thanking people, it would be like a bad Academy Award speech. It would not be good because there are so many people in the 30 years I've been doing this."

Trammell served as acting manager twice this year for a total of seven games as Piniella went home to Florida, first to attend the funeral of his uncle and then to tend to his ailing mother. Quade expressed his thanks for Trammell being willing to help him even though he will not be considered for the managerial job.

"One of the best people I've ever met in life," Quade said. "If I had any concerns at all about any of this, that would have been my No. 1, but he's not the guy you have to worry about. I can't tip my hat enough to him."

Quade got a vote of support from pitcher Ryan Dempster, who rehabbed from elbow surgery at Iowa in 2004.

"I liked Q when I was rehabbing and going through Iowa," Dempster said. "I liked him as a manager then, and I think he's got a great opportunity. He'll do great, and we'll go out and play our tails off for him the rest of the way.

"I'm happy for him that he gets that opportunity to go out and manage some big-league ballgames. It's something he's been waiting his life to do, obviously, and he'll do a great job of it."