Greetings...
Lou Piniella is retiring at the end of the season and the Cubs will be looking for a new manager ... again.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has outlasted yet another rival in the NL Central Division. By my count, Piniella will be the 30th manager to come and go in the division since TLR took over in St. Louis in 1996. It depends on accounting; I included a few so-called interim managers who had a legit chance to keep the job and didn't. I didn't count interim managers who only filled in for a brief time until a successor could be found.
So we could quibble over two or three of the guys. But one way or another, La Russa has remained in power in St. Louis for 15 years, fighting off all challengers in the NL Central. At least 25 other managers and as many as 30, depending on your criteria.
Piniella was the 5th Cubs manager to take on La Russa. The Reds have used 7 managers, the Astros 6. The Brewers have had 7 managers and the Pirates 5.
Say what you want about La Russa. We know he can be polarizing. Fans tend to really like him or disdain him; it can be hard to find the sensible middle ground.
But his body of work over the last 15 seasons is strong. Since 1996, the Cardinals rank fourth in MLB in regular-season wins and are tied for 2nd in postseason wins. Among NL teams since 1996, the Cardinals are second in regular-season wins (ATL has more) and have the most postseason wins.
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* Already there have been some rumors about the Cubs possibly pursuing La Russa after the season. La Russa may retire after the season. Personally, I think he'll return for at least another season. He isn't going to walk away from a nucleus that has Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday, Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Yadier Molina, Colby Rasmus, Ryan Ludwick, Jaime Garcia and others. The man likes to win too much. TLR also has a positive relationship with Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. If TLR is going to manage another year or two, I can't imagine that he'd vacate such a good situation. Especially if it means taking on a stressful, dysfunctional operation like the one at Wrigley Field. The Cubs' job has shredded managers for decades; it is a sentence to heartburn and heartbreak. A younger La Russa may have been intrigued by that challenge. This La Russa -- who turns 66 on Oct. 4 -- wants to take advantage of the time he has left to win as much as possible and give himself and his team a chance to win the World Series. Besides, I truly believe that La Russa is respectful of the Cardinals and their tradition and the many years he's invested in the franchise to bolt and head to the team's baseball enemy.
* And for the sake of conversation, let's just say that La Russa and DeWitt had a disagreement or something that would cause the manager to think about taking another job, even if it means joining a rival. The Reds have a far more appealing situation than the Cubs. (Scott Rolen would love that, we're sure.)
* As for Piniella, I think he was a very good, almost underrated, manager. You know what I admire about Lou? He took on the tough jobs. He didn't back away from challenges. He became the Yankees manager at a less successful and more stessful time; owner George Steinbrenner was hyperactive in his meddling and creating a poisonous environment. After leaving NY, Piniella headed to Cincinnati, where the Reds had failed to make the playoffs during the entire 1980s. He went to work for Marge Schott, who was, to put it politely, rather eccentric. And in his first season, 1990, Piniella and the Reds won the World Series. Next, Lou moved to Seattle, which had only one winning season in its first 16 years of existence before he took control in 1993. The Mariners won three division titles and had a 116-win season (in 2001) during his 10 seasons. Next, a sentimental Piniella traveled back to his home town, Tampa, to take over the forlorn, low-budget Rays. He wanted to try and turn them into winners. It was an admirable objective, but the Rays' still were a couple of years away from being able to compete with their maturing prospects. And the final stop was Wrigley Field and the job that has ruined many a manager; Piniella instantly won two consecutive division titles and finished above .500 in his third season, 2009. I really respect the guy's career. But the fire has dimmed.
* Where are the Reds fans? Stephen Strasburg pitches in Cincinnati on Wednesday night, and the Reds are expecting a big crowd, which would be unusual for the middle of the week. The Reds have been also-rans for a long time. This year they are legit contenders in the NL Central. They have a good, charismatic team that plays the game with spirit and heart. So here's what I don't understand: why are the Reds ranked 21st in MLB attendance this season? Why have the Reds drawn fewer fans through 51 home dates this season compared to last season? The Reds averaged 24,680 per home game last season. This year, so far, the average is 23,508. The Reds drew 22,876 Tuesday to see terrific rookie starter Mike Leake raise his record to 7-1 by beating Washington. But Wednesday night, the Great American Ballpark will have a huge crowd for Strasburg. This prompted a tweet from prominent Cincinnati talk-show host Lance McAlister: "Strasburg jersey hangs in window of Reds Pro Shop? 22,000+ for Leake, 35,000+ for Strasburg? Did I wake up in D.C.?" ... on the other hand, the Reds' TV and radio ratings are up this season.
* If the Cardinals are indeed interested acquiring one of two Cleveland starters, Jake Westbrook or Fausto Carmona, they'd fit the Dave Duncan profile. Why? High ground-ball rate. Both pitchers are getting ground-ball rates of 69 percent this season; both have GB rates of 72 percent in their careers. I still think the idea of Dan Haren to the Cardinals is a long shot. By the way: Westbrook's contract expires after this season; he's making $11 million this year and less than half of that remains due. Carmona has a year left; his salary in 2011 will be $6.1 million, which is reasonable. But because Carmona has that year remaining, the Indians would probably be less inclined to deal him. Or would want more for him in return.
* Happy 35th birthday to Derrick Goold.
As always, thanks for reading ...
-Bernie
