Piniella: I did the best I could

Former Cubs manager Lou Piniella admitted Monday that he may have waited too long to retire last year, but otherwise, he said he had no regrets about his four years in Chicago.

Piniella, 67, spoke with the Daily Herald as part of a promotional tour for TV commercials he’s doing with Major League Baseball for Pepsi MAX.

He retired last August to tend to his ailing mother in Florida. Under Piniella, the Cubs won National League Central titles in 2007 and 2008 but could not win a postseason game either year.

“I wanted to see it through, I really did,” he said. “It just didn’t work out. Baseball is a tough profession. Managing a baseball team is a tough profession. You’ve got to give 100 percent undivided attention to your job. I know that when you’re getting tugged at from a lot of places, it makes it a little more difficult. Maybe I should have gone home a little earlier. I tried to see it through. It just didn’t work out.

“You want to see your team go into the postseason every year, and you want to see your team do well in postseason. Look, we drew quite well. We had three winning seasons in a row, and I don’t think that’s been done with the Cubs in quite awhile. I did the best I could. That’s all I can say.”

Piniella now is a consultant to San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean. A Tampa resident, he said he attends many games of the Tampa Bay Rays. He also catches the Cubs on TV as much as he can.

Piniella said likes the job his successor, Mike Quade, is doing. He also said the Cubs have reason for encouragement in young players Starlin Castro and Darwin Barney.

“Nobody in the division looks like they’re going to run away with anything early,” Piniella said. “There’s ample time to straighten their situation out. Mike’s doing a nice job with the team. I see where Soriano’s got 10 home runs. I see where (Carlos) Zambrano has pitched some nice ballgames. (Carlos) Marmol is doing a nice job of closing. They’re really strong up the middle with Castro and Barney.

“That really doesn’t surprise me. Both kids were on the radar last year. We were able to bring Castro up and finally, Barney.”

In the Pepsi MAX ads, Piniella plays a Cubs manager as some current and former players gather in a takeoff of the movie “Field of Dreams.” He said he wanted to wear the Cubs uniform but reiterated he was done managing.

“No, no,” he said. “I said when I went to Chicago it was going to be my last job, and it was my last job. I’m going to miss the competition, but I don’t miss the heartaches of it, I can tell you that. I had a good run. I finished 14th all time in wins. Who in the heck would have thought that when I started?”