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Everyone wins with return of Piniella

It was time for a team to step up and step in.

By JOHN ROMANO
Published December 14, 2006

ADVERTISEMENT [AP Photo] Piniella did well in his year off. He had a part-time job as a broadcaster and a full-time gig as a grandfather.

All in all, it was a fine time for an intervention.

The man had become too comfortable in loafers. He had grown too relaxed in his do-nothing job. For crying out loud, he was using Pilates for his workouts.

So, yeah, it was a fine time for the Cubs to finally step in and reignite Lou Piniella's passion.

He is, as he likes to say, tanned and rested. But watch closely and you will see he is also regaining that look of anticipation in his eyes. That hint of mischief in his voice.

Step back because Lou Piniella is ready to win again.

"I just felt it was something I had to do," Piniella said. "Don't get me wrong, I was happy doing what I was doing. But somewhere around September, I realized I had to make a decision. I didn't want it to end with all the losing.

"I didn't want to go out like that."

So Piniella is back and, just like that, baseball has gotten a little more entertaining. Umpires are a little more on edge, fans are a little more excited and players are about to be held far more accountable.

Oh, Piniella did fine in his year off. He had a part-time job as a broadcaster and a full-time gig as a grandfather. He also got a big chunk of money from the Devil Rays, who were more willing to pay him to be quiet than to manage.

But the comeback was inevitable, even if Piniella was not sure himself until a few months ago. Baseball got along without him, and Piniella discovered he could survive without the game. But they both are better off with each other.

You could see it last week at baseball's winter meetings in Orlando. Piniella was the Pied Piper of the lobby. Everywhere he went, conversations followed.

At 63, it's as if Piniella has been given a do-over. A chance to wipe out the memories of a homecoming that went horribly awry.

He doesn't complain about his time in Tampa Bay. Hasn't complained, in fact, since that summer day in Pittsburgh in 2005 when the losing finally made him snap and set in motion his departure from the dugout.

But you know it had to hurt. It hurt that the former ownership group essentially lied about its commitment to the payroll. It hurt that the team did not improve quickly enough. It hurt that, for the first time in his career, he had failed.

The Rays lost 90 or more games in all three of Piniella's seasons. They are the only 90-loss seasons in his 19 years of managing.

Those seasons do not come close to defining Piniella as a manager, but they did chip away at his legacy.

When he came to Tampa Bay, his career winning percentage (.537) was better than either Tony La Russa or Joe Torre. After his three seasons in a Rays uniform, his percentage (.517) is more in line with Johnny Oates and Birdie Tebbetts.

"The challenge of managing and the challenge of winning one more time made it too hard to say no," Piniella said. "So here I am."

He doesn't address it directly, but the idea of the Hall of Fame has to be part of the consideration. The Tampa native is one of only two men - Torre is the other -to have won more than 1,500 games as a manager and collect more than 1,500 hits as a player in baseball's modern era.

That may not be enough to make Cooperstown today, but another World Series appearance could push his candidacy over the line.

And that's what makes the Cubs job such a perfect fit.

This is a franchise that hasn't been to a World Series in more than 60 years. A franchise that is desperate enough for improvement that it has committed to more than $300-million in long-term contracts this offseason.

And so Piniella was at the general managers' meetings in Naples last month, recruiting free agent Alfonso Soriano in his hotel suite. He was at the winter meetings recruiting Ted Lilly on his cell phone.

The manager who complained about management in Cincinnati, badgered ownership in Seattle and berated ownership in Tampa Bay has finally found a boss with pockets as deep as his desires.

Remember, this is a player who once punched Carlton Fisk at home plate. A manager who once wrestled with Rob Dibble in the clubhouse. This is a competitor unlike few others in baseball history.

So maybe this job is some form of karma. Maybe it's a reward. Maybe it's just inevitable after being hired by so many budget-conscious owners.

All I know for sure is that it's fitting.

"I wanted to compete one more time. I really wanted to have a chance to win," Piniella said. "So I'm looking forward to it. You know, I'm fortunate, I really am. I'm fortunate in a lot of ways."

John Romano can be reached at (727) 893-8811.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 00:35:00]