Piniella's simple philosophy: Those who perform, play
Quite a juxtaposition, isn't it?
Just a couple of months or so ago, Cubs manager Lou Piniella was sitting in the Wrigley Field interview room bemoaning a lack of ability on his team to catch the ball, run the bases and generally play the game right in the first place.
Speaking of first place, the other half of our little picture in contrasts happened Wednesday night in that same interview room, when an exhausted and mentally drained Piniella was cautioning the media about making too much of his club leading the National League Central on Aug. 1.
The Cubs had just beaten the Phillies 5-4 with a run in the bottom of the ninth inning to go a percentage point ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers and into first place.
It's hard to measure a manager's effect on a ballclub, but Piniella has been such a force with these Cubs that it's hard to believe he's not responsible for much of the resurgence, Thursday's 10-6 loss to the Phils notwithstanding.
It's quite simple. Under Piniella, those who perform, play. Those who don't, sit or are gone.
This 63-year-old self-described "grandpa" (don't let that fool you) isn't afraid to improvise and take chances. Against crafty left-hander Jamie Moyer on Wednesday night, Piniella wasn't afraid to throw youngsters Matt Murton and Ronny Cedeno in there against the slow, slower and slowest offerings of Moyer. Could you have seen Dusty Baker doing that? Me neither.
What if, Part I: It's funny how things work out sometimes in baseball and in life. In June, Jacque Jones was about ready to say goodbye to his teammates and the media as a trade to the Marlins seemed imminent.
The deal fell apart, and I wondered at the time if Jones wouldn't come up with a key hit for the Cubs in the second half. I asked him this week about getting that hit on, say, Sept. 27.
"I'll just take a big hit anytime," Jones said. "Who says we need it on the 27th? We might need it on the 30th. Or we might need it tonight. Or the 15th. I just want big hits."
He might have 1 or 2 in him before it's over. Who'd have thought?
What if, Part II: Also about a month or so ago, who'd have figured Kerry Wood and Scott Eyre to be second-half contributors in the bullpen?
Wood was having trouble playing catch from 45 feet, and Eyre was having trouble even getting noticed by his manager. Even in recent days, Lou Piniella was referring to Eyre as "Stevie Eyre" and "Stevie Ire."
Today, Wood will come off the disabled list after rehabbing a torn right rotator cuff. And don't look now, but Eyre has pitched better of late, looking more like the big-name lefty free agent the Cubs signed before last year and less like the mop-up man he had become this year.
"I'm going to do what I'm asked to do," Eyre said. "When I'm asked to pitch, I'll go out and pitch. Hopefully, I'll just keep doing it the way I've been doing it. I feel well. The ball's coming out of my hand good, and I'm getting outs."
Wood and Eyre both are a long way from proving anything, but if they show they can pitch effectively, the Cubs' bullpen will have a couple of fresh arms for the stretch.