Piniella is perhaps Hendry's best pickup

MIAMI -- A week ago, I penned a column about the off-season acquisitions made by Cubs general manager Jim Hendry.

The idea was to grade the GM on his moves.

It seems more than one reader would like to have seen at least one more acquisition mentioned: manager Lou Piniella.

So here goes.

If I had a ballot for National League Manager of the Year, I'd have a hard time choosing between Piniella and Colorado's Clint Hurdle, who is doing what many thought was impossible: bringing a winner to Coors Field.

That said, Hendry gets a grade of "A" for hiring Piniella to take over from the departed, but not lamented, Dusty Baker.

Here's why:

• Accountability. Gone are the days when players got a seasonlong "hall pass" for poor or indifferent play. Under Piniella, players who perform well play. Players who don't perform well sit on the bench or find themselves in places like Pittsburgh (see Cesar Izturis).

When the Cubs were going bad early this year, Piniella didn't coddle his players or try to cover for them. He asked for players "who can catch the (darn) ball" and admitted that he could see why the Cubs had been losers for too many years.

Some of the players chafed at first under Piniella's style. Tough. Meet the new boss. He ain't the old boss.

• Flexibility Piniella isn't afraid to try things and adjust on the fly. The previous manager and his staff liked to complain about Matt Murton's alleged shortcomings in left field. Did they bother to work with Murton? Not nearly enough.

What did Piniella do? He put Murton in right field, a far tougher position, and Murton has done OK.

Who starts a rookie catcher in a September pennant race? Piniella, that's who. Geovany Soto, who may well be the team's No. 1 receiver next year, started five straight games through Tuesday.

Piniella expressed his preference for veteran Jason Kendall on Wednesday, but some of that flexibility showed Thursday when Piniella put Soto right back in there.

Piniella wasn't afraid of starting Alfonso Soriano in center field to begin the season. When that didn't work, he moved Soriano to left and then adjusted from there.

• Playing young players. Can you imagine Baker acknowledging that Ryan Theriot is a better shortstop than Izturis and then giving Theriot the job over Izturis? Me neither. In fact, Baker spent much of last September burying Theriot for every mistake the kid made (and really, there weren't many) while looking the other way when his veterans played out the string.

Theriot has become the team's co-MVP along with Mark DeRosa. Piniella liked what he saw from Mike Fontenot in 1 at-bat in May, made a mental note of it and had Fontenot called up a few weeks later. Fontenot gave the Cubs a much-needed lift for a month-and-a half.

Piniella has spent much of September talking up rookie pitcher Kevin Hart, who has forced his way into the team's plans for next spring.

Team president John McDonough told me a couple times that when Piniella told him, "I like young players," he was sold.

The big difference is that Baker talked the talk when it came to "liking" young players. Piniella has walked the walked.

Yes, we all may chuckle when Piniella refers to reliever Scott Eyre as "Stevie Ire" or talks about the "ivory" on Wrigley Field's walls or sheds a tear when he hears "Go Cubs Win," but you can't help but get the feeling Piniella is a lot like that fox who gets underestimated.

Give Hendry high marks for corralling this fox named Piniella.