Lou planning on return for 2010

[Banedon]

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/baseball/cubs/1729284,CST-SPT-cub22.article

 

Sounds like he was waiting for ownership to sort itself out before announcing anything.

[Mark Priors Calves]

I will believe it, when I see it.

[illiniguy]

I'm sure he wants to come back.

[NCCubFan]

I'm sure the ownership situation has been weighing on his mind as much as anybody else. Now that it's been resolved (pending the required approvals, which I don't see any problem with) it may seem like a breath of fresh air to him.

[Shilzzz]

the tone of the players in that article suggests to me that they've checked out for this year.

[circlecitycub]

the tone of the players in that article suggests to me that they've checked out for this year.

 

 

It sounds like they are bitter that the Cubs were unable to make a significant pickup.

[DivineBovine]

I'm fine with Piniella staying. He's not the guy who couldn't get a hit with men on base, or kept giving up home runs with the game on the line.

 

I'm fine if he can just keep his mouth shut about personnel decisions and let the new GM- not named Hendry- get some real players.

[Soonernation]

I'm fine with Piniella staying. He's not the guy who couldn't get a hit with men on base, or kept giving up home runs with the game on the line.

 

I'm fine if he can just keep his mouth shut about personnel decisions and let the new GM- not named Hendry- get some real players.

 

 

I agree also; every manager makes decisions that look foolish in retrospect and i think Lou has taken way too much heat this year; it's not his fault that only 3 guys are having offensive seasons that are anywhere near what they are capable of.

[UMFan83]

Wow the players quotes seem like they are expecting another 06-07 offseason of free spending. Hope they don't get their hopes up...

[Outshined_One]

I'm fine with Piniella returning next season.

[erik316wttn]

Lou isn't the problem. He can come back. But I hope he shows more fire next year.

[B-Diddy]

Sounds like the players feel similar to the fans. No more garage sale pickups, and more big time purchases/trades.

 

 

 

And I'm more than happy to have Lou back. Can't blame him for the embarassing blown leads, and the constant unproductive outs/low avg w/RISP.

[GvilleCub]

IMO, this is terrible news. Piniella may not be the problem, but I don't think he is a part of the answer anymore either. Has any one man gotten as much mileage out of ONE(!) WS championship (and pennant same season) that occurred almost 20 years ago now? Those Yankee coattails carry a long way obviously.

 

His managerial record includes fumbling away a 116 win season with a truly great Seattle team in 2001, then messing up the Tampa Bay Devils Rays so much that they ended up dropping the Devil part of the name to try and hide the stench from that failed campaign. Being in Florida I got to witness those sorry 3 years firsthand and when the going got tough, he just grew dispirited and finally quit. He is not the person you want to be a part of a building (or re-building) project which is where the Cubs appear to be. Again.

 

Piniella's Cub career was defined when he gambled on Dempster being able to win that first playoff game last year. Dempster lost, the Cubs lost and Piniella lost. Pretty much all the manager needs to do is figure out his playoff rotation, yet his best pitcher down the stretch in 2008, Ted Lilly, couldn't even get into a game. That's on the manager. And that's one (of many) reasons why Piniella should be gone.

[Sammys Boombox]

I don't really like the players talking about the offseason and next year at this point. Teams have come from farther back.

 

''It's going to be really interesting to see how everything plays out this offseason and see where we go,'' Theriot said. ''It's been a tough year for us as far as that stuff goes, no doubt about that. So it's an exciting time for all of us.''

[Sammys Boombox]

Lou isn't the problem. He can come back. But I hope he shows more fire next year.

 

He's not a dragon, dude, come on.

[Little Slide Rooter]

Lou isn't the problem. He can come back. But I hope he shows more fire next year.

 

Yeah, we really need the old Lou if hes going to be back. Might I suggest locking him in a celler and play non stop Alfonso Soriano, Geovany Soto, and Aaron Miles game footage, all while feeding him nothing but Tang and Grape Nuts throughout the entire off season?

[ArthurVandalay]

I don't really like the players talking about the offseason and next year at this point. Teams have come from farther back.

 

Oh, okay.

[Little Slide Rooter]

I don't really like the players talking about the offseason and next year at this point. Teams have come from farther back.

 

Oh, okay.

 

While I do agree with Arthur that the seasons essentialy over, and as far as were concerned, it should be accepted, but eb is right as well in that the players shouldnt have that attitude. Theres still 5-6 weeks left of baseball, and if they continue to play like they just want it to be over, it wont be enjoyable for anyone. I know were not even really playing spoiler ball as most of the teams we play are nowhere near contention, it would be nice to turn on a game once and a while and see a team that wants to win and show us that these players are worth a damn and can make it happen next year.

[NCCubFan]

Even if the players believe they are out of contention they still need to play with effort. Roster spots and starting jobs for next year could be on the line. For example, if Soto starts hitting he could convince Lou that he deserves to be the undisputed starting catcher next year instead of sharing the job with Hill, as he seems to be now.

[Irrelevant Dude]

The big question is whether Lou really wants to return, or does he just not want to lose out on the money from the last year of his deal? I get the impression that he doesn't want to go through another year of this and would be perfectly happy with some sort of buyout agreement on the last year of his contract. Especially if he thinks that Ricketts wants to go another direction, why would Lou step away willingly and leave all that money on the table?