Players don’t have the final say in a managerial decision, but when a team is united in a desire to see a particular guy get the job (a guy under whom the team won more than 60% of its games), it can be hard to argue the point. And make no mistake – the Chicago Cubs’ players want interim manager Mike Quade to be the team’s full-time manager.
”I don’t think it’s a secret that everybody in the clubhouse, speaking on behalf of the rest of the team, would like to see Quade get the job,” Hill said.
”He related to everybody. I’ve never seen a manager or a coach get everything out of every single player — veteran guys, rookies, bench players, starters, relievers. He brought it out of everybody. It’ll play itself out, but we’re pulling for him.”
In addition to the personal and communication skills, ”Q does as good a job during the game as any manager I’ve ever had,” Dempster said.
Some seemed surprised by the smooth transition and managing ability, even after having Quade on the coaching staff since 2007 (after 17 years of minor-league managing experience).
”It surprised me,” Soriano said. ”I’ve seen him as a third-base coach and an outfield coach, but never as manager, and he did a very good job. I hope they keep him for next year. But I’m just the left fielder.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
Now, if you asked the players if they’d hate the idea of Ryne Sandberg getting the job, I’m sure they’d toss a million compliments in his direction, too, so there’s a bit of a grain of salt here. Obviously the players can’t say anything negative about Quade, but they aren’t just towing the line – they’re affirmatively sticking their necks out in support of Quade. To me, that says something.