Lou goes blond, more or less

Rays manager Lou Piniella shows off a promise kept: the blond dye job he received to reward a three-game winning streak.

Dye Job What do you think of Lou Piniella's new hair color? Looks great Hope it wears off soon No more bets, Lou

ST. PETERSBURG - Lou Piniella didn't quite go legally blond, but he still made the highlights.

Piniella was fit to be dyed after the Devil Rays won their third straight Saturday and agreed to have soft blond highlights added to his salt-and-pepper hair Sunday morning.

"Cute," said Aubrey Huff, he of the bright blond dye. "(But) I was expecting all over color, not just highlights, so I think we kind of got (cheated) on the deal."

Piniella got some odd looks but positive reviews.

"I've got a lot of respect for the guy to do that for his team, to make good on his promise," veteran Al Martin said. "It actually looks pretty good."

"It makes him look younger," Joe Kennedy said. "He needs that for our young team."

Piniella, who took the ribbing in good spirits, said if that's what the players wanted they could accomplish it another way.

"You want to know what will make me look younger? More wins. That's what will make me look younger," he said. "And, more importantly, feel younger."

Piniella said he made the offer to dye his hair as a joke and was surprised it became such a big story.

The heavy interest turned it into more than a colorful side note, leading to the somewhat surreal Sunday morning scene of Brooksville hair stylist Wilber Bonilla holding a news briefing in the clubhouse after the 45-minute bleaching procedure.

"He was scared; he didn't want to go all blond," Bonilla said. "We compromised with highlights."

Piniella, it turns out, may have been following orders from his wife, Anita. "When I left this morning, she told me not to do anything too dramatic," he said.

Bonilla, who attends to several other Rays, said the lighter highlights blended well with Piniella's gray, creating a good look for the 59-year-old.

Piniella said he'll keep the look until it grows out in about a month, though he is concerned there is too much focus on him instead of the players.

"I won't want it to be a distraction," he said straight-faced. "I want to let it die down."