Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Now to find a graceful exit

By JOHN ROMANO
Published June 13, 2005

You are Stu Sternberg and you have just been embarrassed.

One of your highest-paid employees has criticized you so harshly that the news spread across the country in no time at all.

You have now had a day to think about your response.

How about this one:

Goodbye, Lou.

I have a feeling that's what Sternberg has wanted to say for a while now. And I'm pretty darned sure that's what Lou Piniella has wanted to hear.

So why continue the charade? Piniella is a high-priced manager operating in a low-rent neighborhood. Keeping him here under these circumstances will only lead to nastier insults and bigger headlines.

Ridiculous, isn't it?

That a better solution is not likely to be found.

I mean, in a perfect world, ownership would have kept its word and the payroll would have been in the $45-million range by now. Piniella still would be griping about not having enough talent, but it would sound less hostile if the Devil Rays were .500 and in third place.

Instead, we are already nearing an ultimatum long before we thought it possible. So either show Lou the money, or show him the door.

Could it be more simple?

I don't blame Piniella for complaining, and I doubt if you do, either. He was brought here under false pretenses. He was told the Devil Rays were ready to go first class, and instead he has a roster in need of first aid.

The Rays are going to finish in last place this season and, unless the ownership transition is sped up and Sternberg starts providing money and direction soon, they will be in last place again next season.

So, really, there is no reason to keep Piniella around for the final year of his contract. The Rays are only wasting his time and their money.

The trick will be negotiating his departure.

And that'll be a delicate job because nobody wants to end up with Lou's blood on their hands. That includes Vince Naimoli, who has already done a few turns as Lady Macbeth. It includes Sternberg, who likes Naimoli as a fall guy. It even includes Piniella, who doesn't want to leave town as a quitter.

That's why the Rays are in the mess they are in today. Because everyone wants it to happen, but nobody is willing to be the first to say it aloud.

(Sort of like the black-bag job for a new stadium.)

For his part, Piniella seems to have carefully been trying to tick off ownership in the hope of being fired. His first complaints were gentle. Almost nudges. Then he threw in a few harsher criticisms, but masked them in the context of talking about Seattle. Finally, when he realized he could not embarrass ownership by being subtle, Piniella pulled out the sledgehammer Sunday.

The interesting part about this is Piniella's aim. He did not single out Naimoli, which would seem to be the logical target. After all, Naimoli is the managing general partner. He is the one who promised a bigger payroll.

Instead, Piniella turned his wrath on Sternberg. Almost as if he knew Naimoli does not want to be remembered as the guy who fired Piniella. As if Lou knew Sternberg may already be wielding more power than we suspected.

Confused? Don't worry about it. All of this backstage maneuvering is, ultimately, meaningless. The bottom line is figuring out a way for Piniella to leave gracefully, and for the Rays to avoid looking like fools once again.

So how is this for a possibility:

Have Piniella's agent negotiate a reassignment. Make him a special assistant to the general manager. Or, better yet, put him in the TV booth with Dewayne Staats and Joe Magrane.

This accomplishes several things. It keeps Piniella from beating his head on the dugout wall every night. It gets him out of the dugout without firing him. And, most importantly, it lets 29 other teams know he is available.

So (wink, wink) if the Yankees decide to fire Joe Torre, they know they can hire Lou. Essentially, Piniella would be on display for all to see.

And the Rays would not only get themselves off the hook for the $4.5-million or so they owe Piniella next year, but they could get cash or players in return if he leaves to manage somewhere else in 2006.

It's not a perfect solution, but we're not dealing with a perfect situation. The dual ownership faction continues to be a problem, just as it was when the Outback group was butting heads with Naimoli.

And while Piniella has a right to feel deceived, he's trying to have it both ways by cashing a paycheck and still complaining about the people who signed it.

As for the rest of us? Oh, you could say we're screwed again. The best move this organization ever made is about to blow up in our faces because no one can figure out the true direction of the club.

Naimoli wants Piniella. Sternberg, presumably, wants someone else. And Piniella wants out.

You and me?

We just want a winner.

[Last modified June 13, 2005, 01:42:15]