The closing ceremony had already taken place and the Chicago Hilton was quiet Sunday night when Mike Quade came bursting in through the revolving door and asked a bellhop where he could find the Cubs Convention. Quade told the bellhop that he thought the convention was not until July and that the season didn’t start until Aug. 23.
“Mr. Quade had not even waxed his head yet,” said the bellhop. “His head didn’t have its normal shine so I didn’t believe him when he said he was Mike Quade, or when he claimed he didn’t know the Cubs Convention was in January.”
The bellhop escorted Quade to a security office in the basement to meet hotel security. After showing proper identification and undergoing a scalp inspection to prove that the subject wasn’t an imposter, Quade was released. The detective clarified for the Cubs skipper’s edification that the Blackhawks hold their convention in July.
“Tom Ricketts left me a message on my home phone on Thursday, but I just got it since I was away on vacation,” said Quade, who hustled to the Chicago Hilton from his Evanston residence.
“This is embarrassing, to say the least,” Quade said as he briefly awaited a cab outside the hotel. “I didn’t start managing until late August last year and was under the impression it would be that way in 2011. I promise nothing like this will happen ever again.’’
Quade said that he picked up a Cubs schedule at the front desk on his way out of the hotel and that he would be sure to use it.
By Rob C. Christiansen
