Quade grateful for Baker's help, but Reds top Cubs 7-1
CINCINNATI - New Cubs manager Mike Quade has fond memories of how Dusty Baker treated him in 2003, when Baker led the Cubs to the playoffs.
However, Baker stopped short Friday of offering any advice to Quade before the Reds beat the Cubs 7-1.
"I can't give advice when I'm trying to beat him," said Baker, who is trying to manage the Cincinnati Reds into the playoffs. "You know what I mean? As long as I'm in this division, you understand that. If I do give them advice, they've still got to see it for themselves anyway."
Quade was the manager of the Cubs' Class AAA Iowa team in '03, when the Cubs won the National League Central and advanced to the championship series.
It's customary for a minor-league manager or coach to come up to the big club in September as a reward.
Quade got the call in '03, and Baker wouldn't let him leave.
"I came up with him a couple of seasons," Quade said. "He asked me, in the (2003) season, when things were going so well. I came up from Iowa, and they kept me around for a lot longer than I thought they would.
"Then they make it to the playoffs. I'm like, 'I'm out of here. You guys battled all year. I'm gone.' He (Baker) said, 'You're not going anywhere.' It was a great experience. They asked me to stay, and I was always so appreciative of that. Being around those couple of years, I've been lucky. I've been around a lot of good people, he and Lou (Piniella) and folks down the road who helped me a great deal."
Quade is a candidate to manage the Cubs beyond this season, as is Ryne Sandberg, the current manager at Iowa. On Wednesday and Thursday, Cubs general manager Jim Hendry interviewed former Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge.
More interviews will follow, but Quade said he doesn't concern himself with that.
"Not a distraction," he said. "Probably a different word than curious. Jim was upfront with me on Saturday night (when he named Quade to replace Piniella), and we covered everything. I'm actually surprised I remember most of it because I was buckled.
"He' going to interview people, and this is going to give him time to do that and not have some crush at the end of the season. He knows I'm good with it, and he's been upfront with me. There are a lot of good baseball people out there."
Piniella noted how difficult the challenges are with managing the Cubs, given their history. First baseman Derrek Lee noted a negative environment on his way out of town, when he was traded.
Baker won in his first year with the Cubs, but he never made it back to the postseason in Chicago, and he fell out of favor with the public.
"It wasn't different until we started losing," Baker said of Chicago. "If I had to do it over again, we'd have had that (playoffs) in the last year versus the first year. But you can't time it. I've got enough to worry about here. We're trying to go places."
<p class="factboxheadblack">Bruce Miles' game tracker</p>
<p class="News">Reds 7, Cubs 1</p>
<p class="News"><b>Bruuuuuuce:</b> The Reds' Jay Bruce enjoyed the first 3-homer game of his career. He became the second Reds player to hit 3 homers in a game this year. Drew Stubbs did it against the Cubs at Wrigley Field on July 4. </p>
<p class="News"><b>Nice start:</b> Reds second baseman Chris Valaika made his first major-league start. He hit his first big-league homer, a solo shot in the fifth after Bruce hit a 3-run homer. </p>
<p class="News"><b>Streaks snapped:</b> Cubs starter Tom Gorzelanny lasted 5 innings, snapping a streak of 8 starts of at least 6 innings. Starlin Castro and Alfonso Soriano each had four-game hitting streaks snapped. </p>
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