Sweet Lou Set to Retire at End of the Season
This baseball season will mark the final one for two storied managers in the major leagues. First, Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox announced he will retire following the 2010 season, and now the colorful Lou Piniella, "Sweet Lou," has decided that this will be his final season.
The 66 year-old Piniella spent 18 years in the league as a player and has added 22 more as a manager. In his career, he has reached the World Series five times, winning three. He said he is looking to spend more time with his family.
"I've grown to love the city and the fans but at my age it will be time to enter a new phase in my life," Piniella said in a statement.
By announcing his retirement now, Piniella has given the Cubs time to find a replacement.
"I'm proud of our accomplishments during my time here and this will be a perfect way for me to end my career," he said. "But let me make one thing perfectly clear: our work is far from over. I want to keep the momentum going more than anything else and win as many games as we can to get back in this pennant race."
Piniella is currently fourth among active managers in victories, as his record heading into Tuesday night’s game against Houston was 1,826-1,691 (.519). He trails only Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre in victories among active managers.
Piniella is in the final year of a four-year contract and in his time with the Cubs, he has brought the team back to the playoffs twice, winning the NL Central division titles in consecutive years, 2007-08. Piniella’s team only failed to make the playoffs last year and is struggling again this year under the new ownership of the club. The Cubs are 102 years removed from their last World Series.
Piniella played as an outfielder in his playing days, winning the AL Rookie of the Year in 1969 after batting .282, 11 home runs and 68 RBIs with the Kansas City Royals. He was traded to the Yankees four years later, and finished his career with a .291 batting average before retiring in 1984.
Piniella quickly began managing two years later for the Yankees. He was a part of the organization for three years as a manager and GM.
Piniella then went to the Cincinnati Reds where he managed from 1990-1992, winning the World Series in his first season in Cincinnati.
Piniella then went to the Seattle, where he led the Mariners to their best seasons in franchise history. The club won over 90 games four times under Piniella, including a 116-46 record in 2001, but lost in the ALCS to the Yankees. His 1995 and 2000 Mariners team also lost in the ALCS.
Piniella won 93 games in 2002, his final year in Seattle, before going to native Tampa Bay to manage the Devil Rays. When he questioned the ownership’s commitment to winning, his contract was bought out after three seasons with the team.
The Cubs then brought in Piniella following the 2006 season as part of a major overhaul. Team CEO Andy MacPhail resigned, ending a 12-year run that included only two postseason appearances. The Cubs then announced they would not renew manager Dusty Baker’s contract and the team and GM Jim Hendry rebuilt the team seemingly overnight, spending $300 million in the offseason.
Hendry signed Piniella to a three-year contract worth nearly $10 million, with an option for a fourth year.
The club made big moves, including signing Alfonso Soriano and Ted Lilly, but they struggled early on. The team had to hit rock bottom before turning things around.
Pitcher Carlos Zambrano got into an altercation with former catcher Michael Barrett, which resulted in fines for both players. The next day, Piniella got ejected for a dirt-kicking tirade against umpire Mark Wegner, and was later suspended. The Cubs were at 22-31 at that point, but somehow, things turned around from there.
They streaked into the playoffs that year, and in 2008 they went 97-64 for a second consecutive division title, and it was the most wins for the franchise since 1945.
Piniella and the Cubs have struggled since then, missing the playoffs last year, and are presently well behind in the NL Central race.
Sweet Lou is not ready to throw in the towel yet though, and you can bet that the lovable manager will do everything in his power to turn the season around and finish his career on a high note.
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