Piniella's record with the Cubs was 316-293 and he helped the Cubs win both 2007 and 2008 NL Central titles. He came in being known for his success as a manager (and player) with an added bonus of standing up for his players and questionable calls. I captured one of these fired-up Lou moments in 2008 (Cubs vs. Marlins).
The picture below was taken in 2007 in a game against the Reds. It's obviously a flawed picture technically, but I liked it then and I like it now for it's simplicity. Just a picture of the man doing his job. Sometimes the best thing you can do as the leader or manager of the club is let the boys play. While observing play, Piniella as he was doing in this picture could be seen frequently consulting with his bench coach Alan Trammell. As it turns out, Trammell will not succeed Piniella as the next Cubs manager, as cited by multiple sources including Cubs GM Jim Hendry. I had a chance to talk to Trammell after a Cubs-Reds game in 2007 and he had nothing but good praise when speaking of Piniella. I wish both Piniella and Trammell best of luck in their future endeavors and hope that Trammell will continue to be a source of insight to whoever the Cubs decide to hire for the managing role.
This last photo was also captured during the Cubs-Reds series in September 2007 and shows the former Cub left-fielder Jacque Jones having some fun with the coach while he was giving an on-air interview. Piniella had no clue Jones was back there trying to be funny. Either way, it made for a great candid photo with Sweet Lou.
It really was a bittersweet ending to Lou's tenure. He expected to retire soon, and even announced in July 2010 that this would be his last year managing any club. Yet he as well as the rest of us expected him to finish out the year and then move on to retirement. As with anything else in life, you can only plan so much and so far out. Lou's mother's health was not improving and thus Lou re-prioritized his responsibilities and announced that he'd be retiring effective immediately after a game against the Atlanta Braves on August 22, 2010. The Cubs played bad baseball (as was the style for them in 2010) and sent Lou out with a 16-5 loss. (As a sidenote, the Cubs lost the first game of the 2010 season against the Braves. The score? A 16-5 loss.)
Well, it's definitely sad to see him go. He did a lot for the Cubs in 2007 and 2008. He provided hope to the Cubs, fans, and Chicago when they needed it most. Lou obviously did the right thing by moving up his retirement to be with his mother, as opposed to sticking around for a ballclub that is limping to the finish line. Sometimes you don't know what the right decision is but other times it's staring you right in the face. With tears in his eyes as he waved goodbye to everyone at the last game, I think he knew deep inside that this was the best decision. Family first. The 2011 MLB season will be here before you know it should you decide to return to the game in some capacity. Farewell for now, Sweet Lou.
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