Tony La Russa finishes fifth in Manager of the Year vote
TOWER GROVE — Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella, who guided the denizens of Wrigley Field to a league-best 97-64 record and their first back-to-back playoff appearances since 1908, won the National League Manager of the Year award in a vote of baseball writers announced this afternoon. The award is Piniella’s third Manager of the Year award, putting him one behind the record — jointly held by St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and Atlanta manager Bobby Cox.
La Russa finished fifth in this year’s voting.
The Cardinals’ manager received one first-place vote and was he named on five of the 32 ballots cast by baseball writers around the league, two per NL city. La Russa got the one first-place vote, one second-place vote and listed third on three ballots.
Three of La Russa’s votes came from within the NL Central, including the first-place vote from Paul Daugherty, a columnist with the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon won the American League’s award with 27 first-place votes on the 28 ballots. The other manager to receive a first-place vote from Minnesota’s Ron Gardenhire.
Piniella received 15 first-place votes. Eight managers total received votes, but not one appeared on every ballot. (Earlier today, Charlie Manuel edged La Russa in a vote of readers here for their Manager of the Year award. Thanks to the more than 1,400 — and counting — who voted.) Here was the breakdown, as supplied by the BBWAA.
Lou Piniella, Cubs … 103 pts … 15 1st place … 27 (of 32) ballots
Charlie Manuel, Phillies … 67 pts … 8 1st place … 23 ballots
Fredi Gonzalez, Marlins … 48 pts … 5 1st place … 16 ballots
Joe Torre, Dodgers … 45 pts … 3 1st place … 17 ballots
Tony La Russa, Cardinals … 11 pts … 1 1st place … 5 ballots
Jerry Manuel, Mets … 10 pts … 0 1st place … 4 ballots
Cecil Cooper, Astros … 3 pts … 0 1st place … 3 ballots
Dale Sveum, Brewers … 1 pt … 0 1st place … 1 ballot
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
….and Pinella did it with such little payroll…
Joe Torre? What did Joe do before or after Manny Ramirez got to Los Angeles? What a joke
What a joke this is. On a lighter note, I have provided a transcript of Pinellas acceptance speech!
“WOW.. I’m speechless. This is exactly how I envisioned my first Postseason win in Chicago with Cubs!
I would like to thank my over paid, over rated team for helping me win this.
I would like to thank Ozzie Guillen for all he did this year. His blow ups in the press took a lot of attention off me & let me focus on winning manager of the year.
I would like to thank all the fans for believing this was our year, when in fact it wasn’t … AGAIN.
I would like to thank all the sports analysts for saying we were the team to beat, when in fact we were the team to get beat.. in the first round… AGAIN.
I would like to thank Soriano for taking the heat for our second consecutive post season failure. Without him, this award would not mean near as much.
I have no further comments. I will not be taking questions.
Thanks for your time.” – Lou Pinella
This is ridiculous. Baseball Writers blow it again, as usual. It may or may not be LaRussa, but it definitely is not Pinella. What did he do that was so great? He had a relatively healthy team all year, high dollar players, and even more high dollar pitchers. Wow, I am impressed. If he was truely the manager of the year his team wouldn’t have been swept in the first round of the playoffs for the 2nd straight year.
Todd,
Please define “again”.
Thanks,
dg
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When was the voting ? Did it include the post-season ?
What a joke…Lou wins manager of the year with that payroll!!!
Ballots are due before the first pitch of the playoffs. So, no, the Cubs had not washed their dugout in holy water or committed a single October error when the votes were submitted.
what a joke this vote is. Why would they vote before the playoffs, isn’t that what the season is all about. What a meaningless waste of time.
What a Joke. Pinella fielded a 118 million dollar team. A team that sent seven all-stars to New York. TLR fielded a team where the majority of the Cards 99, 264, 499 million dollar squad was filled by players that saw limited action due to injuries (Carp was being payed 10 million this year, and Mulder almost 7 million, I think).
I’m not necessarily advocating TLR for the award, but he really was just a closer away from taking the ‘08 Cards to October. Maybe, he was a closer away from the playoffs, but there is no getting around the fact that he continued to throw Izzy out there early in the season in a situation that Izzy clearly could not succeed in. In the end, Charlie Manuel should have won this award, post-season or no post-season included…
I’m against it, but should voting for these awards include the postseason, DG? I’ve heard a lot of discussion about lately…just curious.