October 16, 200619 yr ESPN radio here in St. Louis is reporting that Pinella will be hired to manage the Cubs. Contract specifics still have to be worked out. Has anyone else heard this?
October 16, 200619 yr Rumors were really picking up in the morning in Chicago that this was going to happen. Seems like he was Hendry's choice all along. Wouldn't be suprised if Cubs make a few big signings in the offseason (or at least told Lou they would) because speculation was he wants to have a chance to win quickly, and in this NL any team that makes a few good decisions could be right up there.
October 16, 200619 yr Tribune article makes it seem inevitable... http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseb...i-sportstop-hed And somehow, I doubt they'd be guessing here.
October 16, 200619 yr A co-worker said that ESPN 1000 announced it as being official. something like a 3 year deal.
October 16, 200619 yr That wouldn't surprise me a bit if Lou Pinella went to the Cubs. As I am said before, managing don't make any difference to the Cubs the trouble is ownership.
October 16, 200619 yr QUOTE(RockRaines @ Oct 16, 2006 -> 01:01 PM) I dont see Pinella making the cubs any better to be honest with you. Agreed. I like Lou, but all he is is a great name, just as Dusty Baker was prior to the Cubs job. And how did Lou do in TB? I don't see the hiring of Lou doing much for the Cubs.
October 16, 200619 yr QUOTE(whitesox1976 @ Oct 16, 2006 -> 12:28 PM) As I am said before, managing don't make any difference to the Cubs the trouble is ownership. I this sentence. It looks like an unedited Ozzie quote.
October 16, 200619 yr Its a good place for Pinella... If he wins a world series here, he's a lock for the Hall of Fame. IMO, he's not quite an HOFer yet... If he sucks, well... its the cubs... everyone sucks. The cubs have resources, and the National league is terrible. It makes a lot of sense from Lou's perspective...
October 16, 200619 yr QUOTE(redandwhite @ Oct 16, 2006 -> 12:31 PM) Pinella is the wrong choice for the Cubs, Girardi is a better fit. It depends on their priority, I think. Piniella (plus the reported/rumored $115 million payroll slated for 2007) tells me that they REALLY don't want to hit the century mark of no titles. Girardi would've indicated a youth movement, which no Cub fan I know wants to hear right now. The Cub fans I know are sick of being asked to put up with "growing pains", "rebuilding processes" and "5 year plans". The Sox' WS victory has only made real Cub fans more impatient, and this hire, I believe, is Cub management trying to address their impatience. Whether it works or not, who knows? But I think Piniella is a good counterpoint to Baker's "substitute teacher" attitude of no accountability, all excuses accepted.
October 16, 200619 yr Laurence Holmes on the Score said it looks like a 3 year $9 million deal is done or darn close to done.
October 16, 200619 yr QUOTE(Athomeboy_2000 @ Oct 16, 2006 -> 01:26 PM) Laurence Holmes on the Score said it looks like a 3 year $9 million deal is done or darn close to done. That's less than I thought it would take. Fewer years, too.
October 16, 200619 yr QUOTE(WhiteSoxfan1986 @ Oct 16, 2006 -> 01:37 PM) Good hire for the cubs. They need a hardass in there after the Baker debacle. If only Pinella could magically turn their horrile pitching staff into Ace's
October 16, 200619 yr This is a fantastic move for the Cubs. A very good mgr that I'm sure wants to win real real bad after that disaster in Tampa. Plus he's had a year away which is often a good thing when it comes to mgr's like Pinella (who have that extra fire).
October 16, 200619 yr QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Oct 16, 2006 -> 02:42 PM) This is a fantastic move for the Cubs. A very good mgr that I'm sure wants to win real real bad after that disaster in Tampa. Plus he's had a year away which is often a good thing when it comes to mgr's like Pinella (who have that extra fire). The problem is that it is long rumored that the Cubs are run from a higer office than the manager. Lou wont stand for this. And if it's true, he'll quit before spring training is over.
October 16, 200619 yr QUOTE(Steff @ Oct 16, 2006 -> 12:45 PM) The problem is that it is long rumored that the Cubs are run from a higer office than the manager. Lou wont stand for this. And if it's true, he'll quit before spring training is over. I think with McPhail there, who is really a very good baseball guy, there was a lot less pull from Tribune's upper mgmt. However, over the past year or two there has been a shift back to where the baseball guys have there hands tied more often than not. In the end I think McPhail was sick of dealing with it, however he also knew the results with him at the helm weren't pretty so he resigned.
October 16, 200619 yr If there was 1 guy out there who could possibly turn the Cubs around, its Piniella IMO. He won't stand for the waiting for Wood and Prior crap. The Cubs are supposedly going to up their payroll $15 million-$20 million, and I'm sure he'll have a big say on who they bring in. You don't have to exactly be very good to contend in the NL.
October 16, 200619 yr Won't matter who they bring in, they still have that goat curse He would be about the best pick out there, unless they go for a lightening strike with an Ozzie type guy.
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