Did anyone else find it a bit strange that Lou Piniella is now part of the organization as some sort of 'advisor' lacking any clear role? Lou is supposedly in S. Florida helping his aging & ailing Mother which sounds noble & humble & all, but, also of a potentially limited duration.
Here's my (semi-weird) theory: The Giants are concerned that big money teams will come sniffing soon for Bochy. It may be in 2011/2012; it may be later. They want a back-up plan & are still unconvinced (God knows why) that Ron Wotus isn't the guy. They now have Lou to turn to, if needed.
Anyone want to comment on this? Signing up Lou justs seems like a strange move, if there is no other aspect.
6 comments:
I've never liked Lou Piniella. I suppose because I'll always think of him as a Yankee. I just perused his playing career data. He got traded around in his early days before he settled in with KC then NYY. In 18 seasons he hit 102 HR. What a stud! His best year may have been '78, when he finished a career-best 21st in the MVP voting. Wow!
"He played with the Yankees for 11 seasons, winning five AL East titles (1976–78, 1980 and 1981), four AL pennants (1976–78 and 1981), and two World Series championships (1977–78)."
So he became a baseball "legend" by first being on a great team, then being a hot-headed asshole of a manger for some pretty good teams.
I wonder if he'll actually be in uniform and in the dugout? Do our outfielders need tutoring or something?
Piniella is a baseball junkie. He ran out of gas managing the Cubs, but wants to keep his fingers in the pie. What does an old baseball guy do when he doesn't have the energy for managing? Gets a "special adviser" job! Who better than with the World Champs? Giants have Felipe Alou and Jim Davenport on the payroll, too. I suspect the Lou and Sabes are connected from "back in the day" with the Yankees.
The Chronic commented on this (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/02/02/sports/s120618S60.DTL). It says that Sabean and Boch are old buddies. Let's just put a little crimp in the "Sabean is a genius" movement, shall we?
Pinella from Tampa, Sabean was a coach at Tampa University, and Bochy is from central Florida. This almost qualifies for a quid pro quo.
"It gives me a chance to stay involved in baseball and not have to travel," Piniella said. "I worked with Brian a lot of years in New York. He's a good man. They have several former Yankees [working for the club]. They won a world championship - we won a world championship. I'm joining a world-class organization."
q.v. Philly.com article
Giants picked up the options on both Sabes and Boch--they will be at the helm for 2011 and 2012.
q.v.
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