Lou Piniella Plans to Become Dusty Baker Next Year
Filed under: Analysis and Commentary, Chicago Cubs News, Chicago Cubs Rumors
Although there was little need for confirmation, Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella confirmed this weekend that Alfonso Soriano will not be the Cubs’ leadoff man next year – better two years late than never.
”That’s over with,” manager Lou Piniella said Friday of Soriano’s leadoff role.
Snizzap. Of course, that merely opens the vault of questions for next year (for which most fans will want all answers to be “Chone Figgins”). Most notably: so who’s gonna be the guy?
[T]he team still has no true leadoff hitter with speed and base-stealing ability — qualities that will be on the shopping list again for general manager Jim Hendry.
Er, what? Surely Jim Hendry learned his lesson with Juan “NOBP” Pierre. Silly Sun-Times writer. No one in the Cubs’ organization is stupid enough to believe that “speed” and “stolen bases” were the missing pieces of this year’s offensive equation.
”It depends on what the club does over the winter,” Piniella said of the leadoff role. ”I like Fukudome at the top of the order, but I don’t know about leadoff. He and Theriot are our best options the way we are now.
”But if we got someone who is capable of stealing 30 or 40 bases in the mix, that would change things. If you look at our offense, adding a speed guy and another bat [are priorities] — but that’s Jim’s department.” CHICAGO SUN-TIMES.
WHAAAAT!?
“Speed never slumps, dude.” ~ Dusty Baker
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I SO hope it’s NOT Jim’s department this winter.
That is a very good point. Hard to imagine him getting another year, unless the thinking is – it’s Lou’s last year, and it can be Jim’s last year, too.