Starters Will Get More Rest, Says Piniella

Friday was the first day of spring training for the Cubs, which meant it was also the first day of answering questions for Lou Piniella.  Questions like:  Why does the team keep doing well in the regular season only to get bombed out in the first round of the playoffs?  And:  Are you ever going to win a post-season game or do you plan on extending the losing streak ad infinitum?  Of course, Piniella was happy to address this issue, telling reporters he has “learned a lot” from the last two years and admitting there is “room for improvement” in how he handles the team.  For instance:  Lou thinks his starters need more rest, to keep them from being worn down by all those pesky day games.  This is good news for reserves like Joey Gathright, Aaron Miles and Paul Bako, who figure to get more time than they normally would.  Of course, the real fix for that would be the Cubs dropping this silly day game tradition altogether and just playing a normal schedule like every other team.  But then we wouldn’t be special anymore, I guess.