By Paul Sullivan
Cubs manager Lou Piniella said Tuesday that he had wanted to keep his plans to retire at season's end a secret, but it leaked out after his agent spoke to a New York Daily News reporter.
"It caused me some headaches," Piniella said of being forced to have the team announce his intentions once the news got out. "I wanted to talk to my team first."
Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts thanked Piniella for his service and confirmed that general manager Jim Hendry would remain in his role and be in charge of finding a successor.
"We had some great runs, some great teams," Ricketts said. "It's incumbent upon us to move forward, and as of today, Jim will be leading the search for a new manager for this team for next season.
"Jim is our general manager full stop and will be our general manager going into next year," said Ricketts, adding that president Crane Kenney also will be involved in the search. "We have a good organization"
Hendry said Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg, who's managing at Triple-A Iowa and told the Tribune he would be "delighted" to be considered, will be a candidate.
Piniella said he hoped to remain involved in baseball and would like to work for a team as a consultant.
Piniella said this season's struggles weren't the main reason for his decision.
"We've struggled some, but no, what it has to do with more than anything else is my age factor and the fact that I want to be home," said Piniella, who lives in Florida. "I've been away from home since 1962. ... It's time for me to get on with a new phase of my life. It gives Jim Hendry ample opportunity to find a new manager for this organization.
"Sooner or later you go to a new phase and that's what's happening to me."
Asked why he wasn't stepping down immediately, Piniella said, "I signed here for four years, I'm going to honor the contract."
Piniella said he was proud of what the Cubs have accomplished in his 3 1/2 seasons at the helm.
"Look, we have raised the bar. There's no question," Piniella said. "I'm not gonna be disappointed about anything. I did the best I could.
"It's a unique challenge. People want you to win. They haven't won in a long time. You can't blame 'em."
Said Hendry of Piniella: "As a general manager he was a joy to be around. I'll always be grateful to him. He came along when he need him."
The reason Ricketts keep clowns like Lumpy and Rothchild is that there are still so many willing rears ready to fill every seat, every day, every year. There's no reason to change because the money just keeps on rolling in for whatever owner is at the helm. But just imagine if they were averaging 10-15k per game, even for the rest of this year, heads would roll, accountability would all of a sudden be pre eminent, everybody would be scrambling to impress, including the players. Until this happens, it will be 102 years of business as usual.
Why do they keep Hendry? The guy is useless and spends money like a drunk sailor.
Breaking News--With the Cubs down 6-0 to the Astros, Lou has just announced he's retiring--effective immediately.
Lou has the right idea; cut your losses and bail, I mean afterall, the ship sank like, what, 101 years ago? Hiring Pinniella to fix the Cubs was like expecting Obama to fix the oil leak. Only problem was, nobody ever gave either one of them a cape.
Now, maybe all the other Cub fans will folow suit and stop spending their hard earned cash on such a lost cause. But knowing those Cub fans...I doubt that'll happen.
Let's hear it for agent "confidentiality" if there is such a thing. 3-0 in the third now. Even Dempster is having an off night. Time to switch over to reruns of "NCIS" on USA.
Oh, never mind. I get it now. You must be a Sox fan...
hey John A. Johnson~
If you read the story, it talks about Pinella's agent leaking the fact that he's planning to retire at the end of the season. Because it was leaked, he had to come out and make a statement. There is nothing about Lou going from hero to goat in 2 years. WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!
And by the way, if you know that much about Cubs fans, you must attend a lot of games or watch them on TV all the time?!!? What's your f n story? Get a clue.
and your job is better than being Cubs Manager? you're a joke.
Just checking... this means Rothschild is gone too, right?
Why would anyone want to manage the Cubs? The fans are the most plastered, most bush, most fair-weather, most pre-occupied with talking on their cell phones while trying to get on TV fans in the country! There are some good ones who deserve better, but they are stuck with the world's largest outdoor bar. Pinella goes from hero to goat in two years? Give me a break.
Everyone's known this since last year. Not news.
The big question is what kluck do they replace him with? I pity the fool.
Hendry, you've done a fine job extending the streak to 102 seasons. May you choose wisely to keep the streak ongoing indefinitely.
I'm sure this will fall on deaf ears, but Hendry was given marching orders by Zell to put a good team together at whatever cost, future be damned. He did what his current boss told him to do, not what his future boss might have wanted. The only really horrible move he made on his own was Milton Bradley.
pittsburg, st.lou, cin., houston, on July 20, 2010 5:47 PM
keep Hendry forever.signed
the National League Central.
all the national league.
sick people everywhere who need a laugh.
white sox nation.
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You need writing lessons! Where is pittsburg? Is that in California?
he cannot wear a baseball cap properly
he cannot grow a beard
he cannot manage
get him off company property, now.
Yeah the Cubs shouldn't be the Yankees, the Yankees are committed to winning while the Cubs settle for whatever this has become. Another season full of failures. I mean it's almost end of July and their season is over.
clane on July 20, 2010 6:04 PM
Cubs don't have to be the Yankees....but no reason they can not be consistent like the Cardinals.
With the payroll the Cubs have they should be the Yankees.
To Real Cubs Fan. Maybe if Hendry actually made good deals. Milton Bradley and Bob Howry. He keeps getting a free pass for this garbage.
you people are idiots! you want to run everybody out of town when one of your teams is not doing well. There is no reason this team should not be battling for first place right now...that line up should be amazing! how is the GM going to fix that? I bet 2 years ago you were saying how much of a genius Hendry was when they won 97 games! Go find something better to do!
Cubs don't have to be the Yankees....but no reason they can not be consistent like the Cardinals.
keep Hendry forever.signed
the National League Central.
all the national league.
sick people everywhere who need a laugh.
white sox nation.
We've all known Lou would retire after this season so it's not really "leaking out" is it?
Jim $pendry on July 20, 2010 5:12 PM
The Chicago Cubs also announced today that Larry Rothschild will return as pitching coach in 2011.
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NOOOOOOO!!!!
How long till Tom Ricketts passes up Al Davis as most hated owner in all of sports.
Ricketts only cares about how much money him and his family rake in so why is keeping Hendry no surprise.
Hey fake T posting as me knock it off before I sue you.
The Chicago Cubs also announced today that Larry Rothschild will return as pitching coach in 2011.
Tom Ricketts has made the Cubs the laughing stock of Major League Baseball. First a giant Kraft Mac and Cheese noodle statue outside of Wrigley Field and now keeping Hendry as GM. Thanks Tom, you're completely screwing it all up. And I thought the Tribune Comapny was horrible.
How Ricketts has been bamboozled by "No Trade Clause" Hendry and Clown Kenney, I'll never know. Good organization? Where?? Good organizations contend every year and actually win some playoff games. They don't coddle big-contract veterans because "they've always batted 3rd or 4th or 1st." They're about winning. If the Cubs are about winning, they'd never seriously tell us Hendry and Kenney are part of a good organization. This is as bad as it gets for Cubs fans.
You really have a good organization there Tom? Seriously?
You decide to retain the one man who has handcuffed your organization with bad contracts and bad players and no trade clauses and you want him to lead the search for a new manager and bring in the "talent" to make up 2011? You're clueless Tom! You're a little frat boy that just wants to impress his friends saying "I own the Cubs and you don't!"
What a jerkwad Tom Ricketts is...but hey...he might be going on another safari soon while his team implodes yet again.
The Cubs and the Bears are almost exactly alike. Not only can you do your job as inept as you can but you'll be kept on and who knows, you may also get a raise.
I want to know what deep dark ugly secrets Jim Hendry has on members of the Cubs organization, he's been killing this team for years but year after year he's still retained as GM. I don't get it.
Ricketts sucks. Hendry should have been out the door with Mr. Asleep at the Wheel (Piniella). The Cubs organization is determined to be lovable losers for eternity.
Get rid of the manager while Jim Hendry gets to keep his job, how typical.
Add Pinella to the list of great managers who were winners everywhere except in the Cubs organization.
There is no God.