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Rays

Lou, please don't let these Rays get to you

By JOHN ROMANO
Published May 25, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - Chances are, it was just a throwaway line. Offered more out of frustration and weariness than any real introspection.

It was a Sunday morning, the final day of another pitiful road trip, when Lou Piniella suggested it might be time to alter his outlook.

That, while still trying to win games, perhaps he should focus more on the development and improvement of Tampa Bay's younger players.

As messages go, this one seemed sadly out of character.

Can it really be true?

Have they finally gotten to Lou?

The Devil Rays already have beaten the fight out of Dewon Brazelton, and the calm out of Rob Bell. They have outlasted the riches of the Outback boys and tested the patience of John McHale. They have dragged down Wilson Alvarez and Vinny Castilla, while disposing of Bobby Abreu and Jose Guillen.

And now they're beating the joy out of Lou.

When you think about it, this could be the most remarkable achievement in team history. That this misfit of a franchise could threaten to dim a passion that has burned continuously for more than 40 years.

All right, so no one believes Lou could ever stop caring. That he won't still wake up every morning and think of winning before breathing. That in the next 24 hours, or 24 minutes, his competitive nature won't again rise in anger.

But just the hint of resignation, just the whiff of acceptance, is evidence of how strong losing's grip has become. We know, by now, that it's not just the norm. Even in Lou's eyes, it's become inevitable.

"Losing," leftfielder Carl Crawford said, "is a monster you don't want to live with."

When he returned home, Piniella knew there would be difficult days ahead. He understood it would take time to build, and even more time to grow.

What he did not know is this would become a never-ending tale. Three years later the payroll is still the lowest in the game. The roster is still a shelter for transients in spikes. The outlook is still measured in years.

"They talk about teaching the young guys to win, but how do you teach that when every year you have 15 new guys on the roster," rightfielder Aubrey Huff said. "The only way you learn how to win is by building chemistry. When people are coming and going every year, that's hard to do.

"Is it starting to get to Lou? Hell, it's getting to me. I've had to live through this longer than him."

Yes, the Rays have lied to Piniella. They have deceived Huff. And they have let down the fans. Really, there is no other way to look at it.

On the day Piniella was hired, managing general partner Vince Naimoli called it a defining moment. He said it was the beginning of the future and suggested the payroll could grow by tens of millions of dollars. Piniella said he had been assured the team was committed to winning.

That was in the fall of 2002. We are now entering the summer of 2005, and the payroll hasn't budged. By season's end Piniella will be three-fourths of the way through his contract and one step closer to the exit.

And don't think he isn't planning an escape. He will be 62 in a few months. He may not see the final wave of his career, but he can feel its breeze.

So ask yourself:

Why should he remain here?

What evidence does he have of future success?

"Lou has got a tough job here," Crawford said. "They've given him a bunch of young guys, myself included, and expect him to work miracles."

For several years there has been talk of teaching the younger players how to win. As if this can be done while the Rays carry squirt guns into battle.

The truth is, Piniella did a remarkable job of pushing this team to 70 victories last season. It may have been his finest job of managing in a career that has seen five playoff appearances and a World Series title.

If nothing else, he should be commended for keeping the prospects from bailing. No sport is tougher on losing teams. Whether you have potential or not, a last-place team still has to show up 162 times a year. And Piniella has kept the Rays ready, just as they were Tuesday night in a 5-4 victory.

And how have the Rays rewarded Lou?

They have, essentially, put him in an impossible position. Tell the truth? That makes him a disloyal employee. Keep his mouth shut? That's a tacit approval of everything he has ever despised.

So Piniella vacillates. On his good days he talks of potential and the opportunity for growth. On his better days he fumes about the team's lack of direction and its coupon-clipping mentality.

It is, sadly, the best thing he can do for Tampa Bay. Keep the pressure on the owner's box. Keep the focus on the franchise's shortcomings.

Yes, you should be concerned about developing the youngsters. But don't stop pushing. Don't stop demanding.

Don't let them beat you, too.

[Last modified May 25, 2005, 00:41:07]