Piniella to retire at end of season
There will be changes in the Chicago Cubs at the end of this season, as can be expected when a team badly underachieves. Now we know that Lou Piniella is one member of the organization that will leave.
The Chicago Cubs manager announced today in a statement that he plans to retire at the end of this season, ending months of speculation about his future. It had been widely assumed that, one way or another, he and the Cubs would part ways, with the $146 million Cubs failing to contend in the NL Central. This is the method I assumed would play out — with Piniella riding off into the sunset on his terms at the time his contract expires.
What's funny is that Piniella's statement says he wants to give general manager Jim Hendry ample time to find a replacement. The word on the street is that Hendry's days in charge on the north side are numbered. I'm not sure who will end up with the power to determine who will be the 57th manager of the storied franchise, but I'm sure there will be no shortage of candidates to inherit this mess. Ryne Sandberg, Joe Girardi, Alan Trammell, Pat Listach and Bob Brenly are the names being thrown around right now, and more are sure to enter the speculation ring.
I've been very critical of Piniella this season and think he also deserves much of the blame for the devaluation of the team from a powerhouse in 2008 to a disappointment in 2009. His handling of malcontents Milton Bradley and Carlos Zambrano, his very questionable lineup and bullpen decisions and his "What do you want me to do?" attitude all make me very ready to see him leave town.
I haven't, however, forgotten Piniella's first season in 2007, when he inherited a last-place team and was instrumental in those Cubs going from 22-29 at one point to the playoffs. He also got the maximum out of the 2008 Cubs during a 97-win regular season. Both seasons ended without a single postseason victory, however, and this year's Cubs aren't going to get a chance to improve the 0-6 playoff record with which Piniella will depart.
Overall I've been very disappointed with what Piniella has done for the Cubs after I was initially very excited about his hiring. It's probably a bit of a black mark on a legacy that might not be as shiny as it seemed several years ago. Even if the Cubs lose every game the rest of this season, he will retire a winning manager. He does have one World Series title on his resume with the 1990 Reds, but it will likely (and should) be remembered as disappointing that he never won anything with some very talented Mariners teams in the 1990s nor with his Cubs teams.
