Could, or Should, Lou Piniella Be Manager of the Year?

The 2008 Chicago Cubs were a far cry from the traditional teams the Cubs have fielded over the years... for the most part. They finished with over 90 wins and had the best record in the National League. They had a high scoring offense, and some decent (if at times unreliable) pitching. This, in general, was due to excellent play from a series of roleplayer such as Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot, and rookie Geovany Soto.

Manager Lou Piniella really didn't have all that much to do with it. He mishandled MLB first timer and supposed Japanese phenom Kosuke Fukudome. In the beginning of the season, Fukudome tore it up offensively and was key defensively. He tracked balls and had quickness in the field like nobody's business, and at the plate he was the classic example of a high percentage contact hitter. But toward the middle of the season, he started slumping, and Piniella pulled him from the starting lineup instead of giving him a reasonable chance to recover. He also misstepped in affairs with ridiculously overpaid star Alfonso Soriano. The guy has power, but he simply cannot hit for average. Despite this, he hit leadoff most of the time. This cost the Cubs a ton of runs in the long run. And even when Soriano proved time and time again that he should not be hitting first, Piniella stuck with him. Perhaps most important was the Cubs' embarrassing showing in the 2008 playoffs. Nothing Piniella tried, (not that it was much) worked. The Cubs had proven themselves a superior team during the regular season, but were still swept easily by the L.A. Dodgers. The fact is, the players just weren't hitting and the defense was playing sloppy. Though Piniella had several options and opportunities to shake things up, he took none. And the Cubs made their ridiculous, yet usual, early exit.

Sweet Lou, in my opinion, really isn't a bad manager. He has done what he could to put the Cubs on the winning track. But he has established a pattern of absolutely zero success in the playoffs.

So, all we can do is sit and wait. Though it should probably be Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, the ballots for manager of the year were cast before the playoffs. And according to regular season performance, Lou has a pretty good shot. It wouldn't quite be a travesty, but it would definitely be a mistake.