By Dave van Dyck

Lou Piniella will step down as manager of the Cubs after Sunday's game against the Braves due to family reasons, the team announced.

"This was the right thing for him to do," general manager Jim Hendry said Sunday morning. "He didn't want to go out before the end of the year, but it came to this point."

Piniella's mother has been in poor health, and he has left the team twice to tend to her at their Tampa home.

"I didn't think my career would end this way," Piniella told reporters Sunday. "But my mom needs me home, she hasn't gotten any better. Rather than continue to go home and come back -- it's not fair to the team, it's not fair to the players -- the best thing to do is to step down and go home."

Mike Quade has been named interim manager for the rest of the season, beginning with Monday's game at Washington. Hendry said Quade will be a candidate for the managerial opening in 2011, but that bench coach Alan Trammell would not.

"Mike Quade will be a candidate for the job, another reason he's sitting in the chair the rest of the season," Hendry said. "I basically told Alan he would not be considered."
In a statement, Piniella said: "When I previously announced my intentions to retire at the end of the season, a primary reason for my decision was that it would allow me to spend more valuable time with my family. That time has unfortunately gotten here sooner than I could have ever expected. As many know, the several weeks since that announcement was made have been very difficult on a family level, requiring two leaves of absence from the club. While I fully intended to manage this club the rest of the season, a family situation at home now requires my full attention.

"As I said last month, I couldn't be more appreciative of the Cubs organization for providing me the opportunity to be their manager. I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world and I consider this the ultimate way to end my managerial career."

Piniella and Braves manager Bobby Cox hugged at home plate as they exchanged lineup cards before Piniella's final game. Cox is retiring after the season.

Piniella then waved his cap to the Wrigley Field crowd and teared up. It was an emotional moment for the series finale.

Meanwhile, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said he was surprised by the news and said Piniella was tasked with a tougher job managing on the North Side where expectations are almost unrealistic.

"I think it's easy to manage this side because they don't expect us to win," Guillen said in Kansas City. "When you manage the other side, every year, ... . I remember spring training two years ago, we didn't even hit spring training and all of the sudden they're going to win the championship and they have (Kosuke) Fukudome on the front page.That's a lot of pressure."