It's official. Lou Piniella has to go. The manager who has led the Chicago Cubs to consecutive Central Division titles has lost it. Given up. Gone around the bend. Hung out the "Gone Fishin'" sign. Packed it in.
As this dismal season has dwindled into the post-dog days of August...the Cubs have played like dogs. No, worse. At least a dog plays with some energy, unless it's an old dog. Maybe that's it. The Cubs are taking their cue from an old manager who doesn't seem to have the energy to try to fix what is obviously broken.
The final piece of evidence came when Piniella was asked by a reporter from the Chicago Sun-Times if he had any thoughts about benching struggling left fielder Alfonso Soriano. Now, remember, Soriano - or Sorry-Oh No - is the Cubs' $136 million leadoff man who can't take a walk, swings at anything that curves, can't play defense, and this year has even lost his one redeeming quality...the ability to hit home runs in bunches. Lou finally got around to moving him from the leadoff spot to the number six slot in the order...and still Soriano is hitting .157 with no homers since June and only four RBIs this month. Lou's comment about letting someone else have a chance - "Invariably, you have to start hitting at some point."
Translated, that means "No, Soriano will not be benched, regardless of how poorly he hits."
What this means for the Cubs and their fans is that Lou Piniella - the fiery, emotional, in-your-face manager that led the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series title and led the Seattle Mariners to the best record in baseball without Junior Griffey and A-Rod - is too tired to care about what happens to his team.
No answers, no ideas, no energy should equal no job. Lou Piniella has finally collapsed under the weight of those "Cubbie occurrences" that he so bravely poo-poohed his first press conference upon taking over in 2007.
It's time the Cubs gave Piniella the opportunity to get some rest.
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Good blog, I think you hit the nail on the head.
TigerBait10
Hold On Tight, MS
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Actually, I was against Lou P. from the start. To me, he was another apologist in the same vein as Dusty Baker. Joe Girardi was rumored to want the managing job at one time; the Yankees were smart enough to hire him. I will say this: Jim Hendry should be the first one fired, followed by Piniella. Then, start dumping the likes of Soriano and others who refuse to hustle. Hitting home runs is one thing, but being a complete ballplayer is much more important. The Cubs are solid at first and third. Jake Fox can take over for Soriano, and although he doesn't have the speed he can be covered for by the other outfielders available to the new manager. I don't think a major overhaul should occur, but Hendry, Piniella, and Soriano have got to go. Not to mention Gregg. What the hell was so wrong with Kerry Wood anyway?
Mike57
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