Quade eager for first pitch of his first full season
After more than six weeks in the desert, the hometown kid is home and ready to lead his hometown team for a full season.
Mike Quade, Evanston native and graduate of Prospect High School, continues where he left off last year after taking over as manager of the Chicago Cubs in August.
On Friday afternoon, he will march to home plate with the lineup card on his first big-league Opening Day as a field boss.
“I always feel like a little kid,” Quade said Thursday before the Cubs worked out at cold, but sunny, Wrigley Field. “There will be a million emotions, and I’ll deal with them however I do.
“My folks will be here. That’s great. Long journey. All the stuff. But ultimately, I’ll be excited to play. It’s a long 6-7 weeks down there (in Arizona). To tee this up for real, that’s as exciting as anything to me.”
Of course, the feel-good stuff will be as long-lasting as the Cubs have success on the field, and that’s how Quade will be judged in the end.
Cubs fans have a short “book” on Quade from his six-week stint as manager last year, when he took a moribund team and got it to finish with a 24-13 record down the stretch. Here are some Quade-related questions and factors to watch for as the 2011 season unfolds:
How is he dealing with the opening-day jitters?
When he was third-base coach of the Cubs, Quade liked to take a moment every day to soak up the Wrigley Field atmosphere. His job has been a little different since he took over for Lou Piniella last August.
“It kind of reminds me a little bit of the first day in Washington only because I’ve got so much on my mind,” he said Thursday of last year’s debut. “You know that moment I like to take? That’s a long way away right now.
“Between lineups and visiting with the club and getting things set for tomorrow, I want to have everything done so tomorrow I can come in and enjoy the day. I literally mean enjoy the day wait until they say, ‘Play ball.’”
Did spring training give time to “establish” things?
“Without being specific, probably yeah,” he said. “Spring training is a bit of a training ground. I have ideas that I can bounce off of guys.
“It’s not like I’m bouncing an idea off of somebody on Monday and that night we’re playing a game for keeps, whether it’s mixing and matching position wise, whether there is some fundamental stuff I’ve thought about and tried, little nuances to various defenses.
“I think so. But I think, for good or for bad, another six- or seven-week dose of me, for my guys, and I think if there’s any question at this point who I am or what I expect, there shouldn’t be.
“I never want to make too much of it. I’m not reinventing the wheel. I think these guys are committed to playing the kind of baseball we want to see.”
What should Cubs fans expect from Quade?
As others have said, he is smart and organized. He also is decisive and lets players know right way, good or bad, where they stand.
In very quick order last year, Quade won the respect of veteran players and let the youngsters know who was in charge.
Quade watches pitch counts. Will he be especially vigilant early in the season?
“Probably,” he said. “I would be much more cautious right out of the chute. And then monitor as you get through the season where a guy’s been and how often you want to take him past what you’re really comfortable with, if ever.”
Was there a Quade signature moment in spring training?
If there was, it was adjusting his infield, moving Blake DeWitt out of the starting mix at second base and putting Darwin Barney into that mix to the point where he’ll start Opening Day. DeWitt has been relegated to backup duty at second and third base.
Quade made this move in such a way to reward performance, but he also said he and the Cubs still have faith in DeWitt.
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