As a baseball lifer, Chicago Cubs manager Mike Quade likes to keep a low profile that doesn't match his status as manager of a big market baseball team. As has oft been reported, he sometimes takes the train to Wrigley Field without ever being noticed.
Quade, however, might want to rethink his humble approach after what happened at Phoenix's Sky Harbor Airport on Wednesday as he traveled home from the All-Star game. He was detained for nearly 40 minutes by the TSA, receiving two extended patdowns and having his bags searched multiple times. All the while, the unassuming Quade never alerted the officers to his true identity.
So what was the deal? Were TSA officers just being ever vigilant in their commitment to a safe and friendly skies? Or were they secretly part of the Cubs' stronghold of desert fans and upset about the team's status as the second-worst team in the National League?
"I guess they thought I had a bomb or something," Quade said. "I never did tell him (my job). I don't do that. I was hoping they'd ask. ? I guess one of their alarms went off. You hear about it, but now I get the full pat-down (and the question) 'Are you sensitive in any areas?'" [...]
"I was a little bit belligerent late [...] I was glad I didn't end up in Tent City with Sheriff (Joe) Arpaio."
Quade was finally released without further incident, so all's well that ends well.
On a somewhat related note, you'd be surprised to learn how unassuming former Cubs manager Lou Piniella could be out on the town. One time, he told a group of reporters (including myself) that he and his wife had used an off night to check out Frontera Grill, Rick Bayless' popular restaurant in downtown Chicago. But when they arrived, they found there was a multi-hour wait for a table. This was in 2007, a year that the Cubs won a division title, so did Piniella use his clout and popularity for immediate seating?
Hardly.
"Eh," Piniella said (and I'm paraphrasing here), making a face that suggested he didn't want to put anyone out of place. "We went by the bar and waited for a seat to open and then we sat down and ate after a little bit. No need to make a fuss."
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