Cubs' skipper Piniella retires
CHICAGO — Baseball has been the fabric of Lou Piniella's life. For 48 years, first as a player and then a manager, his passion for the game was undeniable. You could usually see it on his face.
Piniella was an aggressive, sharp-eyed hitting outfielder and an often fiery, sometimes raging, manager who'd cooled his act for the most part as manager of the Chicago Cubs over the past three-plus seasons.
When his ailing mother needed his attention, though, Piniella decided it was time to leave sooner than he'd expected and go home to Florida to take care of her.
And after his final game at Wrigley Field on Sunday, his emotions ran over in his postgame news conference. Saying goodbye was difficult.
"I cried a little bit after the game. You get emotional. I'm sorry, I'm not trying to be. This will be the last time I put on my uniform," Piniella said Sunday with tears flowing and his voice cracking after the Cubs were routed by Atlanta 16-5 in his final game at Wrigley Field.
"It's been very special."
After Sam Fuld grounded into a game-ending double play, Piniella took off his cap and shook it in the direction of the Atlanta dugout, apparently to say goodbye to fellow retiring manager and friend Bobby Cox. Many in the crowd of 37,518 had already left Wrigley Field after the Cubs surrendered 11 runs in the final three innings.
"It's a good day to remember and also it's a good day to forget," Piniella said.
Piniella said last month he planned to retire at the end of the season and reiterated his plans just Saturday. But he missed four games in August to be with his mom in Florida and decided this weekend his divided attention wasn't helping anyone.
"She hasn't gotten any better since I've been here," said Piniella, who turns 67 on Saturday. "She's had a couple other complications, and rather than continue to go home, come back, it's not fair to the team, it's not fair to the players. So the best thing is just to step down and go home and take care of my mother."
Piniella's final game led to a memorable scene when Piniella brought the lineup card to home plate and greeted Cox.
And Cox said he understood what a difficult situation Piniella was facing.
"It's in your blood that long, but Lou's mom is in ill health," Cox said before the game. "It's a sad day for me because I kept on thinking that Lou would be back, not here but somewhere else."
Piniella and Cox shook hands after they reached the plate, hugged each other and exchanged back slaps as Piniella's No. 41 was posted on the center-field scoreboard.
Cox was announced to the crowd and took his cap off and waved it to the fans.
Then the public address announcer ran down Piniella's achievements as he stood at the plate, and scattered cheers of "Louuu" could be heard throughout the crowd.
Third base coach Mike Quade was promoted to interim manager.
