Rays mulling over Piniella's rant

By DAMIAN CRISTODERO
Published June 14, 2005

	[Times photo: James Borchuck]
	A day after Lou Piniella's rant, GM Chuck LaMar, above, says the organization will spend a few months trying to clarify its direction.

ST. PETERSBURG - Devil Rays manager Lou Piniella did not repeat his comments critical of the team's new ownership group. But he didn't back off, either.

And with general manager Chuck LaMar saying, "It has yet to be determined" if after Sunday's rip job Piniella can co-exist with new owner Stu Sternberg and partners, it appears the situation will linger.

LaMar said that over the next few months, meetings will be held "to get some clarification on the direction of the organization."

Piniella, who said Sternberg and partners abandoned a plan to make the team more competitive, had little to add.

"The amazing part about it is the new people that bought this baseball club are nice people," he said before the game with the Brewers at Tropicana Field. "I've got absolutely nothing personally against anybody. They're a good group of men. But this is a tough business, and what I said, I said. That's all I got."

LaMar characterized Piniella's comments as "frustration more than anything else" fueled by a dreadful 2-10 road trip.

But he added, "You just can't sweep it under the rug and not deal with it."

LaMar said the entire ownership group will meet to talk about the first half of the season, the draft and perhaps next season's preliminary budget.

There also likely will be discussions to determine if Piniella, whom LaMar called "the best manager in this game" and whose contract runs through 2006, still fits the program.

"I truly believe in my heart he would manage here as long as he wants to," LaMar said. "I guess that's yet to be determined, but I'm not going into this thinking Lou Piniella is not here next year."

Still, he added, "Obviously there's some situations there; on direction of the organization, can we call up young players, what the payroll is going to be in future years. Can I get enough of those pieces to get the job done here? Those are going to have to be addressed. ... It's my job as general manager to get that straightened out as soon as I can."

[Last modified June 14, 2005, 01:27:13]