Chicago Cubs manager, Lou Piniella (“Sweet Lou”), has decided to retire at the end of the season stating that he wants to spend more time with his family. His announcement came Tuesday and will give the team plenty of time to replace him.
Piniella, 66, achieved three championship rings after reaching The World Series five times.
In a released statement Piniella said, “I’ve grown to love the city and the fans but at my age it will be time to enter a new phase in my life.”
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“I’m proud of our accomplishments during my time here and this will be a perfect way for me to end my career,” he went on. “But let me make one thing perfectly clear — our work is far from over. I want to keep the momentum going more than anything else and win as many games as we can to get back in this pennant race.”
Alex Rodriguez said, “For me, he’s obviously a Hall of Fame manager and a great player. He is a rare breed, a rare combination of a guy that played and played in New York, won a championship, and is proven and is tough, and is from Florida like me. I just have a lot of love and admiration for Lou.”
Cubs slugger Derrek Lee, said he was surprised by the timing and that Piniella will be missed.
“He doesn’t like to lose. He takes the losses extremely hard,” Lee said. “He’s had a great career, put a lot of time into this game.”
As of Tuesday, Piniella’s overall record was 1,826-1,691 (.519) and he trails only Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Joe Torre in wins among active managers. Piniella currently ranks 14th all-time on the list of managerial wins.
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