(presumably, the anti-Piniella posters have only recently gone into production)
While the San Jose Mercury News’ Ann Killion‘s questions the selection of Barry Bonds as a role model for a kids’ hospital visit yesterday, she also drops the following tidbit, comparing and contrasting Chicago’s treatment of the last two Cubs managers.
It’s shocking, the free pass Lou Piniella is getting in Chicago after his mighty team was swept out of the postseason for the second consecutive year. This is a market that went after Dusty Baker like a crazed mob when his teams fared poorly. But Piniella ” with a far more talented team ” is getting the “poor-Skip-his-guys-didn’t-hit” treatment after running his Cubs postseason record to 0-6. His regular-season record after two years is just five games better than Baker’s was.
Maybe Piniella has learned, like Baker did, that curses are real. I was at the Steve Bartman game ” when Baker’s team was five outs from the World Series ” and was stunned at the palpable sense of doom that descended on Wrigley Field. Even without Bartman, that was the feeling at Wrigley last week. I predict a rough road ahead for the Cubs ” we’ll see if the double standard for Piniella continues.
I can’t believe Lou’s going to get a free pass all the way to Opening Day on this one. TBS noted that 2007 and 2008 happened on his watch, but unlike Dusty Baker, Lou signed his renewed contract before the series ended – so no anonymous complaints from management yet.
As for Dusty – context is everything. Dusty was accused here and elsewhere of burning out Prior and Wood’s arms, but that was pre-Mitchell report. There was collapse within his clubhouse, Sosa’s decline and Dusty’s inability to drop him down the line-up, and the pr disaster of Steve Stone’s crybaby exit. Lou, despite WGN’s promotinghim with his ump-baiting antics of the past, managed a tight ship, got over some big hurdles, and left the soap opera in the locker room. The closest we got his voicing his displeasure with Fukodome during the play-offs. Lou lost his gold card with fans, I’d say, but he hasn’t had the problems Dusty did and Dusty created. If anything, the happy accidents of Ryan Dempster and Ted Lily and Theriot hitting .300 + made his ride easier … until October.