The Chicago Cubs or the lovable losers as they are sometimes referred to in Internet betting decided to go with Mike Quade as their next manager. Quade was the interim manager last season after Lou Piniella stepped down. He did pretty well after getting the job and the Cubs were actually worth considering in online betting during the month of September.
Quade 24-13 – The Cubs were 24-13 with Quade as their manager. That was a very good record. In fact, it was the second best record in all of baseball during that period of time. Quade has had a lot of success at the minor league level as a manager so he is not without experience. He was the Minor League Manager of the Year in 1991 and in 1993. He led the Vancouver Canadians to victory in the 1999 Triple-A World Series. He won more than 1,200 games as a manager in the minor leagues.
Players Support Quade – The players were very supportive of the decision to go with Quade. Pitcher Ryan Dempster said he was a great pick. Quade is well respected in the dugout by the players. He treated veterans and rookies the same and didn’t let anyone’s contract size or ego get in the way.
Ryne Sandberg Loses Out – The Cubs went with Quade and that meant that former second baseman Ryne Sandberg missed out. Sandberg said that he does not know what he is going to do now and might even look at leaving the Cubs organization.
Improvement Possible – The Cubs were 75-87 last season but much of that blame goes to Lou Piniella. It was proven that a manager can win in Chicago as the Cubs were very good under Quade. They could be a contender next season against SBG baseball odds if they play the way they did down the stretch. Keep in mind that the Cubs were 51-74 when Piniella stepped down. Chicago has some good young players like Starlin Castro and Tyler Colvin in the lineup and they have young pitchers Andrew Cashner and Casey Coleman. They still need to improve their lineup and get Alfonso Soriano straightened out but there is hope that Chicago could be improved next season against the baseball Internet betting odds. Pitcher Carlos Zambrano was very good down the stretch as he went 8-0 in his last 11 starts.