Piniella bids goodbye after 48 years in the majors…
Written by The Go-To-Man Mattie T. on August 22, 2010
After a career that spanned nearly 5 decades, Lou Piniella ended it on Sunday afternoon after his Chicago Cubs took a 16-5 thumping to the Atlanta Braves, which put them 23 games under the .500 mark.
The Cubs’ current win percentage of .411 is the lowest of Piniella’s 23-year managerial career, as he decided to step down due to family reasons.
After two back-to-back NL Central titles, Piniella’s Cubs suffered two consecutive losing seasons, with 2010 being one of the most frustrating years of his career.
Fellow retiring manager Bobby Cox of the Braves understood Piniella’s decision to step down:
“I saw Lou prior to our little home plate (meeting). It was pretty emotional. I hate to see Lou leave baseball, but we will see what happens, but I know his mom is really, really sick and he needs to get home.”
3rd base coach Mike Quade will serve as the team’s interim manager for the remainder of the 2010 season, which is effective on Monday evening in Washington as the Cubs will take on the Nationals.
