Piniella Steps Down; Quade Steps In

As it turns out, Lou Piniella will not be finishing the season as the Chicago Cubs manager. As the 67 year old manager announced today that after today’s game he will be stepping down as the Cubs manager. After the declining health of his 90 year old mother, Lou decided that now would be the right time to step down as Cubs manager and tend to his ailing mother. Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry has told Mike Quade that he will be the interim manager for the remainder of the season. Hendry also told Quade that he is a candidate for the job. Alan Trammell was informed by Hendry that he will not be considered for the manager’s position this off-season.

Here is a statement from Lou Piniella announcing that he will be stepping down…

"“When I previously announced my intentions to retire at the end of the season, a primary reason for my decision was that it would allow me to spend more valuable time with my family,” Piniella said in a statement.  “That time has unfortunately gotten here sooner than I could have ever expected.  As many know, the several weeks since that announcement was made have been very difficult on a family level, requiring two leaves of absence from the club.  While I fully intended to manage this club the rest of the season, a family situation at home now requires my full attention.“As I said last month, I couldn’t be more appreciative of the Cubs organization for providing me the opportunity to be their manager.  I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world and I consider this the ultimate way to end my managerial career.“I couldn’t be more appreciative of my coaches and training staff.  They have been professional and supportive.  And thank you to my players for the successes we shared and their efforts.“Finally, to the Cubs fans, thank you for four wonderful seasons.  You are the best, most deserving fans in all of baseball and it has been an honor to manage your ballclub.” CHICAGO BREAKING SPORTS"

Here Are the Respective Statements from Chairman Tom Ricketts, and GM Jim Hendry…

"The Chicago Cubs are honored to have had Lou Piniella as our manager for the last four years,” said Ricketts.  “My family and I respect Lou’s decision to retire from the game he loves and thank him for his years of dedicated service.  He is an icon in the world of baseball and we are grateful for his time with this organization.”“Lou helped raise the bar here for this entire organization and for that we’ll be forever thankful,” said Hendry.  “We understand he needs to be with his family and respect his decision to retire at this time.  We salute his tremendous career and wish him and his family long-term health and happiness.”"

Best of wishes go out to Lou Piniella and his family, but as the saying goes the show must go on. Mike Quade will now get a month and half to audition for the Cubs position, which may give him a leg up on the other candidates for the position.

As for Lou Piniella, I’m sure none of us could have imagined that this would be how his Cubs tenure would be coming to an end. While Lou Piniella may not be the best manager the Cubs have had, he certainly will be one of the most memorable managers the Cubs have ever had. He is the first manager in 100 years to lead the Cubs to back to back consecutive seasons, as well as three straight winning seasons. However, Lou Piniella failed, like many other managers, to lead the Chicago Cubs to their first World Series title.