October 16, 200620 yr source? ESPN Lou Piniella could be the manager of the Chicago Cubs before the World Series begins, a source told ESPN's Peter Gammons.
October 16, 200620 yr Lou Piniella could be the manager of the Chicago Cubs before the World Series begins, a source told ESPN's Peter Gammons. I know. The topic title has been edited.
October 16, 200620 yr Author the fact that he is a favored choice is old as hell...that has been posted on ESPN for 2-3 days now
October 16, 200620 yr Lou Piniella could be the manager of the Chicago Cubs before the World Series begins, a source told ESPN's Peter Gammons. I know. The topic title has been edited. I just don't believe he turned the Nationals down to coach the Cubs. The Nationals have much more potential.
October 16, 200620 yr I just don't believe he turned the Nationals down to coach the Cubs. The Nationals have much more potential. Cubs mystique.
October 16, 200620 yr Author ARLINGTON, Texas ? (AP) ? Oakland Athletics third base coach Ron Washington will be the first of at least five candidates interviewed for the Texas Rangers' managerial vacancy. Washington, a coach with the A's the past 11 seasons, will interview Tuesday. Oakland was swept by Detroit in the AL championship series. General manager Jon Daniels plans to talk Thursday with minor league manager John Russell, a former Ranger who was the International League Manager of the Year with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season. Interviews with New York Mets coach Manny Acta and Japanese manager Trey Hillman haven't been set since both are still involved in postseason play. Hillman is an Arlington native and the Rangers' former director of player development. Daniels will talk to Rangers bench coach Don Wakamatsu after interviewing all candidates outside the organization. Rangers hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo withdrew his name from consideration last week, preferring to remain in his current position. The Rangers fired Buck Showalter after an 80-82 season, the team's sixth losing record in seven years since last making the playoffs in 1999. Showalter was 319-329 in four seasons.
October 16, 200620 yr So what is the over/under on the number of games the Cubs have an outfield consisting of Juan Pierre, John Mabry and Jacques Jones under a Piniella regime? Tuesday is Lou's day: Announcement near Cubs ready to introduce Piniella as manager October 16, 2006 BY CHRIS DE LUCA Staff Reporter Negotiations between the Cubs and their top managerial candidate advanced so quickly Sunday, the team expects to complete talks today and introduce Lou Piniella as their new manager by Tuesday, according to team and industry sources. Formal negotiations on a multiyear contract with Piniella's Chicago-based agent, Alan Nero, began Sunday, the day after the veteran manager's duties as a Fox analyst ended with the conclusion of the American League Championship Series. ''I think we'll be ready to announce something in the next couple of days,'' Cubs general manager Jim Hendry said Sunday night. ''I've been very pleased with how this process has gone.'' Piniella, 63, was tops on Hendry's wish list long before the process began. Hendry's decision was apparently made on Friday, after he had concluded his most serious interviews with Piniella, former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi and Cubs broadcaster Bob Brenly. Sources say Piniella's people knew on Friday they had won the derby. ''Listen, I'm not interested in managing just to say I'm a major-league manager,'' Piniella told the Sun-Times over the weekend during the ALCS in Detroit. ''I'm looking for an opportunity to win.'' The feeling in Piniella's camp is the Cubs have the resources -- with a payroll expected to jump to the $115 million range -- and some key core players, such as first baseman Derrek Lee, third baseman Aramis Ramirez, All-Star pitcher Carlos Zambrano and catcher Michael Barrett, to make a serious run in a potentially weak National League Central. Hendry's next major task is locking up Ramirez, who has the right to file for free agency after the World Series. Hendry has been working on a three- or four-year extension that would keep Ramirez off the market. Those talks, however, have been derailed by the managerial search. ''I hope to move that back to the front burner this week,'' Hendry said. Hiring Piniella might mean the return of pitching coach Admin Rothschild, who's not a fan favorite because he has presided over a largely ineffective and injury-prone staff the last three seasons. But Rothschild, who worked with Piniella in Cincinnati, has the respect of Hendry and the Cubs' pitching staff. The Cubs officially cut ties with manager Dusty Baker and his coaching staff two weeks ago today, after the Cubs finished with a 66-96 record that left them in last place in the NL Central. Baker spent the previous four years with the Cubs, taking them to the NLCS in 2003. That run was followed by three highly disappointing seasons marked by injuries. Hiring a manager has been tops on Hendry's to-do list, and he has worked nonstop in the process since the day Baker was let go. At one point, Girardi -- the former Cubs catcher and team captain -- emerged as the favorite, especially after it appeared Piniella might be headed to the New York Yankees to replace Joe Torre. Though new team president John McDonough preferred Girardi, Tribune Co. bosses made it clear this was Hendry's decision to make. The Piniella hire is a clear sign Hendry is making the key baseball decisions. The GM has two years left on his contract, but a poor showing in 2007 likely will mean the end of his run with the Cubs. The mandate from Cubs bosses is to win a World Series by next season. That means Hendry couldn't afford to do anything but aim high. Since July, Piniella had been identified as the most attractive managerial candidate on the market. Piniella has a 1,519-1,420 record during a 19-year managerial career that began in 1986 with the Yankees. He moved on to the Cincinnati Reds and won the 1990 World Series his first year on the job. From there, he managed the Seattle Mariners and won the AL Manager of the Year Award in 1995 and 2001, when the M's won 116 games. Piniella's run in Seattle ended after the 2002 season, when he asked to be traded to the New York Mets or his hometown Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The M's sent him to the Rays, where Piniella managed the cash-strapped team from 2003-05, suffering through three consecutive losing seasons. Piniella asked out of the final year of his contract after the 2005 season. Spending most of the 2006 season working as an analyst for the Fox network helped Piniella recharge his batteries. ''It has been a very nice, relaxing summer for me,'' Piniella said. ''Outside of my first three or four telecasts, where I really pitted out from nerves. The amazing thing about the booth that people don't realize is that things happen a lot quicker up there than they do in the dugout. And you have to be able to articulate it. And they're talking in your ear when you're speaking. ''But I leave home every Friday and I come home either Saturday night or Sunday morning. Not bad.'' But it doesn't compare to his true passion: managing. Source -- http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cu...T-cub16.article
October 16, 200620 yr Author Lou Piniella was expected to be introduced Tuesday as the new manager of the Chicago Cubs, a baseball source told The Associated Press on Monday. Piniella's hiring was first reported by ESPN radio, which said he received a three-year contract. The source spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the hiring has not been announced. Piniella led the 1990 Cincinnati Reds to the World Series championship and replaces Dusty Baker, who was not brought back after a 66-96 season that ended a four-year contract. Piniella spent last season in the Fox broadcast booth and has 19 years of managerial experience with four different teams ? Tampa Bay, Seattle, the New York Yankees and the Reds. Several teams had sought to hire him for next season. Known for his fiery style, the Cubs hope Piniella can revitalize a team that has not reached the World Series since 1945. Joe Girardi, fired by the Florida Marlins after one season and a former Cubs player, also interviewed for the job. A Cubs spokeswoman declined comment Monday. Piniella's agent Alan Nero and Cubs general manager Jim Hendry were not immediately reachable for comment.
October 16, 200620 yr So why don't the Cubs want the NL Manager of the Year? Maybe because Pinella has fifty times more experience then Girardi? :thumbup Pinella or Girardi? Its a no-brainer dude. I would take Pinella any day and I like Girardi. Very lame jab at Girardi. Classy.
October 16, 200620 yr Author AP reports that Oakland has fired Ken Macha...cue up "Another One Bites the Dust"
October 16, 200620 yr OAKLAND -- Oakland Athletics vice president and general manager Billy Beane announced today Ken Macha has been relieved of his duties as manager of the club. Macha compiled a 368-280 record in four seasons as manager of the A's. He joined the Oakland organization in 1999 as bench coach and was named the 27th manager in franchise history on Oct. 29, 2002. SOURCE
October 16, 200620 yr A's just fired Ken Macha. My bet is that Girardi's Billy Beane's new man by the close of the week. He's proven that he can relate to his players (which Macha clearly couldn't) and get the most out of them. He's also proven that he can work wonders with young talent. Thoughts?
October 16, 200620 yr Beane probably wants someone more willing to cooperate with the front office. At least that's my guess. yep I bet they dont even interview Girardi
October 16, 200620 yr With how much hype Girardi got, you think he would have a job by know. Hmmmmm Get along with your front office.
October 17, 200620 yr With how much hype Girardi got, you think he would have a job by know. Hmmmmm Get along with your front office. I'm beginning to think that every front office of a team without a manager right now is smarter than the entire national media and about 97.4 percent of the people on this message board. ($14 million payroll + near playoff spot =/ a good manager) Im beginning to think that only one manager vacancy (Cubs) has been filled so its WAY to f'n early to tell if Girardi gets a job or not. :thumbup Keep piling on em Penguino. The fact remains that the team was projected to by oddsmakers across the COUNTRY to win 65 games. They were in the WC hunt in September until the bullpen sh*t themselves (no fault of Girardi's). He motivated and got the best out of his young ballclub. Did he make a poor in game decision here and there? You bet your a** he did. Show me a manager that doesnt make mistakes over the course of 162 games.
October 17, 200620 yr With how much hype Girardi got, you think he would have a job by know. Hmmmmm Get along with your front office. I'm beginning to think that every front office of a team without a manager right now is smarter than the entire national media and about 97.4 percent of the people on this message board. ($14 million payroll + near playoff spot =/ a good manager) Im beginning to think that only one manager vacancy (Cubs) has been filled so its WAY to f'n early to tell if Girardi gets a job or not. :thumbup Keep piling on em Penguino. The fact remains that the team was projected to by oddsmakers across the COUNTRY to win 65 games. They were in the WC hunt in September until the bullpen sh*t themselves (no fault of Girardi's). He motivated and got the best out of his young ballclub. Did he make a poor in game decision here and there? You bet your a** he did. Show me a manager that doesnt make mistakes over the course of 162 games. You are completely ignoring the absurdity he was spewing from spring training until the end of the Reggie experiment that put his team a complete disadvantage and is partly the reason the Marlins created a hole they had to dig themselves out of. And it continued after that with such asinine moves as starting Alfredo Amezaga against every southpaw. You make it seem like my major gripe with the man was the stupid in game moves. This is not true. That accounts for about 10 percent of my hatred for him. His ideas and manners of dealing with actual persornel for the long term was the worst I've seen from a big league manager. You just can't let any opportunity to take a shot at Girardi go by, can you? It is pointless to argue the merits of Girardi's managerial tenure in teal with you since you either forget or ignore all of those points people on this board bring up (sometimes on numerous occasions) in support of Girardi and just repeat your standard lines. You then just lump all of those who support Girardi in with the national media saying all we do is bring up team payroll and being in the playoff hunt (not that those are bad arguments, but I have never harped on payroll issues when I wrote about Girardi). By the way, you write that his manners dealing with team personnel is one of the reasons you hate him. Is that why you posted that brilliant idea to bring in Davey Johnson to manage the Marlins? :lol
October 17, 200620 yr With how much hype Girardi got, you think he would have a job by know. Hmmmmm Get along with your front office. I'm beginning to think that every front office of a team without a manager right now is smarter than the entire national media and about 97.4 percent of the people on this message board. ($14 million payroll + near playoff spot =/ a good manager) Im beginning to think that only one manager vacancy (Cubs) has been filled so its WAY to f'n early to tell if Girardi gets a job or not. :thumbup Keep piling on em Penguino. The fact remains that the team was projected to by oddsmakers across the COUNTRY to win 65 games. They were in the WC hunt in September until the bullpen sh*t themselves (no fault of Girardi's). He motivated and got the best out of his young ballclub. Did he make a poor in game decision here and there? You bet your a** he did. Show me a manager that doesnt make mistakes over the course of 162 games. You are completely ignoring the absurdity he was spewing from spring training until the end of the Reggie experiment that put his team a complete disadvantage and is partly the reason the Marlins created a hole they had to dig themselves out of. And it continued after that with such asinine moves as starting Alfredo Amezaga against every southpaw. You make it seem like my major gripe with the man was the stupid in game moves. This is not true. That accounts for about 10 percent of my hatred for him. His ideas and manners of dealing with actual persornel for the long term was the worst I've seen from a big league manager. You just can't let any opportunity to take a shot at Girardi go by, can you? It is pointless to argue the merits of Girardi's managerial tenure in teal with you since you either forget or ignore all of those points people on this board bring up (sometimes on numerous occasions) in support of Girardi and just repeat your standard lines. You then just lump all of those who support Girardi in with the national media saying all we do is bring up team payroll and being in the playoff hunt (not that those are bad arguments, but I have never harped on payroll issues when I wrote about Girardi). By the way, you write that his manners dealing with team personnel is one of the reasons you hate him. Is that why you posted that brilliant idea to bring in Davey Johnson to manage the Marlins? :lol The only supporter comments I hear consistently are in regards to intangible motivation, not baseball moves, so get off of your high horse. And justify the Davey Johnson comment. And all I read from the anti-Girardi crowd were complaints at how he used the bullpen (mostly not valid complaints) and complaining about a few bunt calls (those few complaints were valid for the most part, just trumpeted way too much). They also complain about moves he supposedly discussed behind closed doors during Spring Training. Not moves that were implemented for the most part, mind you. It is ridiculous to criticize ideas that weren't even implemented. Obviously he decided those ideas were not worth pursuing. The only complaints there that are valid are those he implemented that were bad, and the only one there that was bad in my mind was his decision not to start JJ from day one. As far as the whole Girardi-Front Office feud it is hard to say who was more at fault. And we may never know the whole story. Do I really have to go into Davey Johnson? The guy you wanted to manage the Marlins? Okay. He was kicked out of Baltimore back in '97 because of his public feud with owner Peter Angelos. The day he submitted his resignation he was named the AL Manager of the Year. Sound familiar?
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.