Stepping Out
Piniella Calls It a Day on Painful Season

Jerry Lai/US PRESSWIRE

Holy crap. That was our reaction to hearing that Lou Piniella had stepped down to be with his ailing mother. It seemed his heart hasn't been in it for a while, but given his lame-duck status and the brutal performance of several of his "top" players, a little lethargy is understandable. We don't mind the Ricketts family giving third-base coach Mike Quade the job on an interim basis — better to make a well-informed decision later than a rushed one now. PS: We won't blame you if you get a little misty-eyed watching Lou's goodbye press conference.

ESPN Chicago: Lou Piniella retires after Sunday's game [+ video]
Daily Herald: After 4 years with the Cubs, 48 years in baseball, Lou Piniella...
Chicago Sun-Times: Cubs manager Lou Piniella retires after today's game
ESPN Chicago: Evanston's Quade excited to manage Cubs

Thanks for Everything
Looking Back at Lou's Career with Cubs
What do you remember most about the Lou Piniella era? Is it the vein-bulging, dirt-kicking freakouts? Is it getting the Cubs to the playoffs in 2007 and 2008... only to see them timidly swept? Ken Rosenthal remembers Piniella's "tremendous passion," saying his "competitive fire burned so brightly." Bleed Cubbie Blue calls him "the most successful manager in my lifetime," while ESPN Chicago says "Lou Piniella didn't win the brass ring in Chicago, but he's no one's loser." And Counting says simply, "Lou was a great manager for doing what everyone else thought they could do better."

FOX Sports: Piniella will be sorely missed
Bleed Cubbie Blue: Lou Piniella retires, finishing 2010 with 16-5 loss bookends
ESPN Chicago: Heart on sleeve, Piniella says goodbye
And Counting: Au revoir, Sweet Lou
Chicago Sun-Times: Lou's Cubs tenure good to remember, good to forget

The Replacement
Are Cubs Going to Make a Run at Girardi?
So who's it going to be next year? Steve Rosenbloom says Bob Brenly and Ryne Sandberg are out of the picture and the Cubs are most likely going after Joe Girardi. ESPN's Buster Olney echoes that thought, saying, "I think it tells you the Cubs have questions about whether they want Ryne Sandberg to be their next manager." The Trib's Phil Rogers seems to think Quade actually has a shot of staying on. CSN Chicago says it's not going to be Alan Trammell, an unfailingly nice guy who was told "Thanks, but no thanks" by Hendry before tabbing Quade.

Rosenblog: The more things change with the Cubs, the more it looks like...
ESPN: Is Lou Piniella a Hall of Famer? [video]
Chicago Tribune: Quade may be what Cubs need in a manager
CSN Chicago: Quade gets his shot; Trammell not a candidate

Bust a Move
Is Lou Cooperstown-Bound?
Piniella doesn't have anything left to prove career-wise, but one question remains: Will he end up in Cooperstown for his work as a manager? ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, who is on a Hall of Fame committee that votes for managers and umpires, answers yes. "I think he is a Hall of Famer," Kurkjian said, noting Piniella won 1,835 games and tallied 90+ wins with four different teams. He also helmed the 2001 Seattle Mariners, which tied for the most wins in a season with 116. The other team? The 1906 Chicago Cubs.

ESPN: Is Lou Piniella a Hall of Famer?

One Word: Ugh
Cubs Routed in Piniella's Last Game
Lost in all of this madness was yesterday's game, in which the Cubs got trampled 16-5. Randy Wells kept the game somewhat close, except for those, you know, five runs off three homers he gave up. Then the bullpen came in and stunk up the joint. The Cubs committed three errors, and it could have been more: Aramis Ramirez treated Derrek Lee's smash down the line like it was covered in Ebola, but it was ruled a hit. The final justice: This was the same score the Cubs lost to the Braves by on opening day.

ESPN Chicago: Lou Piniella loses final game as Braves blister Cubs [+ video]
Chicago Tribune: Piniella's season ends the way it started
MLB: Cubs unable to send off Piniella with win

Believe it or not, both teams had 13 hits yesterday... The Cubs have lost 12 of their last 14 at Wrigley Field... Harry Caray may be gone, but his spirit lives on, selling malt cups at Wrigley Field.

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