Piniella earns compliments from players

His desire to succeed has molded attitudes in league clubhouses.

By KEVIN KELLY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published October 26, 2002

ST. PETERSBURG -- Tino Martinez had four minutes.

Four minutes before batting practice started before Game 4 of the National League Championship Series this month. Four minutes to squeeze in as many compliments about his former manager as he could.

And the words couldn't be spoken quickly enough.

"Nobody wants to win more than Lou Piniella," said Martinez, who played under the fellow Tampa native for three seasons in Seattle. "I think the fire and his desire to win rubs off on teams."

The intimidating stares and emotional outbursts that make for entertaining highlights on SportsCenter are only part of the man.

Piniella, who is expected to be named Devil Rays manager on Monday, is driven to succeed.

It's a desire cultivated throughout a successful career that included two World Series titles as a player with the Yankees and one as manager of the Reds in 1990. It also helped him turn Seattle from also-ran to contender.

That desire has molded attitudes in every clubhouse that Piniella has led -- from Yankee Stadium to Riverfront Stadium to the Kingdome and Safeco Field.

"He's a guy that you just wanted to go to war with him," said relief pitcher Doug Creek, who was traded from Tampa Bay to Seattle last season. "He's not scary or imposing, but you want to go out and play well for him. I felt the same way with Dusty Baker when I played for him."

Piniella's managing style has changed some through the years.

Maybe it's a mellowing. Or perhaps he just has adapted to different situations.

Whatever the reason, now retired catcher Joe Oliver recalls seeing a different Piniella in Seattle than the one who led the Reds to the World Series sweep in 1990.

"In Cincinnati he would have some spots that he would basically go off on players," said Oliver, who played under Piniella in Cincinnati from 1990-92 and with the Mariners in 1998 and 2000. "But for the most part, he would come in, let us have it and would come back out five or 10 minutes later and he was like, "Guys, I know you're trying hard. I know you're busting your tails. Just keep working hard.' It was frustration because he knew that we were better than what we were playing as a group.

"When I went to Seattle (in 1998), he was more one on one. When we'd have our team meeting, it wasn't kicking trash cans and throwing the spread table over. There were more confidence boosting meetings. ... It was reminding us to tighten our shoestrings up, pull the belt a little tighter, get back to work, get back to basics and keep working hard. It wasn't the knock-down, drag out, screaming and hollering that you see onSportsCenter late at night."

But don't discredit the effect such outbursts can have on a team.

"That's just the fire and exuberance you see from a man who has a lot of passion to win," Oliver said. "It rubs off on the players because they appreciate when a manager goes out there and shows you how much he cares as opposed to somebody who just sits on their hands."

Once players get over their initial questions of playing on a team managed by a man whose persona often is overhyped, they often feel comfortable seeking advice or direction and find Piniella can be equal parts straight-shooting boss and father figure.

"When you're right, he's right there beside of you. When you're wrong, he's right there beside of you, but he's letting you know about it," Creek said.

"There's no guessing about where you stand with him. He makes it pretty clear. If you're in the doghouse that's clear. If you're in his good graces that's clear too."

Piniella has gained a reputation throughout his managerial career for testing players so as to weed out the weaker ones. Younger players can find themselves challenged most.

What also has become evident over time is Piniella's penchant for making the right decisions.

"He tries to put you in the best situations you can be," Oliver said. "He's not going to put you in a situation where he knows you have no chance, whether you're a pitcher or hitter or everyday player."

Blessed with a talented core of young players, Seattle molded itself into a contender despite losing the likes of Randy Johnson, Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez with Piniella as its manager from 1993-2002.

"I think he's probably the smartest baseball mind in the game as far as picking things up, when to make moves, when to hit and run, when to bunt, when to do this, when to do that," Martinez said.

"If you ask him why he does that, he gives you the greatest answer. It's unbelievable the way he thinks during a game or during a season. To me he's the smartest manager in the game, baseball-wise."