Cubs manager Lou Piniella feels the media fantasize about the Cubs' lineup. Knowing most of the media, Cubs lineups are deep on their list of fantasies. Judging from our e-mail, fans have their own fantasies about lineups.
So here's your chance. With Alfonso Soriano set to come off the disabled list Thursday, there will be a new dynamic to the Cubs' lineup. How would you fill out the top eight?
Dusty Baker returned. And got booed. Just like the ex-Cubs manager said the fans at Wrigley would do before the game. But that didn't keep the new Cincinnati manager from smiling and looking happier than he has in years, at least around here.
``Life is good,'' he said behind the batting cage about an hour before the game. ``My life is real good.''
The booing from Cubs fans was loud and immediate as Baker took the lineup card to home plate before the game, met there by Cubs coach Matt Sinatro with the Cubs lineup.
But it's exactly what he expected, Baker said during a media conference this afternoon. ``I been booed before,'' he said. ``I been booed in more towns than this one.''
While talking about fiery pitcher Carlos Zambrano's angry outbursts during games gone wrong, Cubs manager Lou Piniella remembered being charged for water coolers he broke with his bat during his playing career -- four or five, by his estimate, at about $250 to $300 a pop.
But he made sure to make a point each time he had to pay up.
He made the club send him the broken cooler. ``If I had to pay for them, you're damn right I did,'' he said. ``I used to put them in my garage at home.''
Imagine what they might be worth today -- that is, if he still had them.
``I wish I had kept them,'' he said.``I'd be selling them on eBay.''
If a Miami woman could get $28,000 for a 10-year-old, partially eaten grilled cheese sandwich that supposedly bore the image of the Virgin Mary on it, what would an authentic Lou Piniella busted water cooler go for?
He might be off the caffiene and energy drinks but even a better hydrated, less jacked-up Carlos Zambrano is no less hulking, animated and reactionary on the mound than he ever was. Anyboyd watching Friday's game on TV saw that in the Phillies' decisive sixth inning when Pat Burrell drove a run-scoring double over lead-footed Daryle Ward, who was in right field getting his first start of the season.
Zambrano threw up his arms and tossed his head in exasperation at the play -- one of several moments in the game he reacted emotionally and vigorously.
The apparent show of anger at a teammate was downplayed and denied in the clubhouse afterward. Asked if Zambrano was agitated, manager Lou Piniella said, ``I don't know about that. I don't think that was a problem.''
Although it looked like a ball Kosuke Fukudome might have caught if he wasn't playing center for the day, Piniella defended Ward, saying, ``I don't think anybody would have caught the ball that Burrell hit.''
Zambrano said none of the plays in that ugly sixth inning -- including a foul ball off third that third baseman Aramis Ramirez overran -- bothered him. ``No, not at all,'' he said.
And he wasn't upset, he said, at himself or anybody else. ``No, no.''
But he didn't deny that he got emotional.
``Always,'' he said, smiling. ``You're talking with Carlos Zambrano, man. Always.''
Only Bobby Cox has been kicked out of more games than Lou Piniella among active managers, but the Cubs' skipper wasn't about to bite when asked if -- like Ozzie Guillen's public beef with umpire Phil Cuzzi -- he had any problems with particular umpires.
``The umpires are all my buddies,'' Piniella said, smiling.
Piniella may no longer be an ogre with umpires, but he plays one on TV -- throwing a tirade on a commercial for bottled water currently getting a lot of air time.
Yet even with the make-believe tirade Piniella, whose only ejection as Cubs manager was that planned one last June, was sensitive enough about the message in the commercial that he cleared it through the commissioner's office before agreeing to do it.
``The concern that I had was that when I got kicked out, the league basically discouraged me from theatrics,’’ he said. ``So here I was doing a commercial with theatrics. So I made sure I went through the league, and they approved it.’’
Theatrics?
``I’m talking about [kicking] the dirt or [throwing] the cap, those sorts of things,’’ he said. ``My cap’s OK, I think. I learned in New York from Billy [Martin] and from Mr. Steinbrenner. Mr. Steinbrenner used to tell me, `Look, part of your job is to put fannies in the seats. When you get kicked out of the game, put on a show.’
``But I guess the league doesn’t like that, so we do away with it.’’
As entertaining as Piniella is these days, he was a lot more fun when he didn't have so many buddies in blue.
The Cubs plan to move up ace Carlos Zambrano a day to pitch tomorrow's series opener at Philadelphia, taking the spot of Jason Marquis, who's still recovering from the flu. Zambrano will be pitching on his natural fifth day because of this week's off day.
Manager Lou Piniella said Wednesday he wanted to swap tonight's starter, lefty Rich Hill, with Marquis if Marquis was well enough to go tonight.
Instead, Marquis -- who was to be in the bullpen tonight in case of emergency-- will be backed up to Sunday at the earliest, with lefty Ted Lilly going Saturday.
Piniella said eithe Marquis or left-hander Sean Marshall will start Sunday.
Apparently, Lou Piniella dislikes answering questions about his lineup so much he brought up his next plan before a question was specifically asked about it -- with Kosuke Fukudome probably getting his first regular-season look in the No. 2 spot of the order Wednesday.
That's not exactly a shocker. Fukudome was expected to see time in the 2 hole when the Cubs face lefties this season, and today's Pittsburgh starter, Tom Gorzelanny is the first of those. Zach Duke will be the second Wednesday
``I think we’re the only team in the National League that hasn't faced a lefty yet this year, so we’ll face a couple in Pittsburgh and we’ll see how we do,'' Piniella said before the game today. ``We basically have stayed with the same alignment, batting-order-wise. After we see it against a lefty we can alter it a little bit if we have to. Hopefully, we won’t have to.''
When asked about a possible switch for Wednesday, he said, ``We're going to look at it. Remember, spring traning we hit Fukudome second against the left. Well, we left it just the way it was [today with Fukudome fifth]. But we'll take a look at it and see what it looks like [with him batting second]. We haven't faced left-hand pitching yet. We'll see. We can adjust if we need to.''
Speaking of lineups, the Pirates staged a lengthy pregame ceremony for their home opener today, which had team officials grumbling about the teams being forced to stay lined up on the base lines for the entirety of the 25-minute affair -- and that was before the program got underway and only the Cubs were standing for the duration. The Pirates weren't called onto the field for introductions until a full 10 minutes into the ceremony.
It was all but impossible to nail down the responsible parties for the Allegheny home cooking -- they kept passing the Buc.
So Lou changes the lineup after two games and puts Soriano back in the leadoff spot? What's the big deal? Piniella's still well behind the pace he set last year when he used 125 different lineups. And Soriano -- well, he may be ill-suited for the leadoff spot, but he's even less suited for No. 2.
And let's be clear about one thing. The move was inevitable as soon as the Cubs closed spring training without getting Baltimore leadoff man Brian Roberts in a trade.
``There are other reasons why I put him in the 2 hole [in spring training] for godssake. You know?'' Piniella said before today's game, clearly referring to the anticipation of a possible trade for a leadoff man and not wanting to spring a lineup change on Soriano on Opening Day.
So Soriano's back in the leadoff spot. It's not perfect. Not by a long shot. But they won a division with him there last year, and when he's hot, it's not the worst thing in the world for him to have him as high in the lineup as possible to get him the most at-bats possible.
Besides, the bigger issue might be what to eventually do with Fukudome. I mean, he's got to bat second, right? Forget protecting Ramirez in the five hole -- what good is protection for the run-producers if nobody's on base?
So maybe Soriano moving back to his comfort zone at the top of the order -- as this roster is put together right now -- should be embraced by Cub fans. And as far as the other lineup changes that are sure to follow throughout the year, bring them on. Hey, maybe one of them will eventually include Roberts.
We all knew the day was coming, but it was still a sad page in Cub history that marked the end of the lengthy chapter of clubhouse man Yosh Kawano's career -- its 65-year span going back two years before the Cubs' last pennant.
Kawano, who turns 87 in June, was removed from his clubhouse duties over declining health, a decision that apparently came during spring training when Kawano spent two days in the hospital with a foot injury. The Cubs plan to keep him on the payroll and reassign him to a more symbolic position, and they plan to honor him before a game later in the season.
The Cubs' clubhouse was named in his honor in 1984, and he was inducted into the Cubs' Walk of Fame in 1996.
But his name already has been removed from the list of clubhouse guys in the media guide. And, however necessary this move might be, it comes at a time when crusty, foul-mouthed, cash-grabbing Sam Zell has not only become the bitter face of the franchise but when the very face of the ballpark is threatened and when tackiness such as the yellow ``CBOE'' on the brick is starting to creep through the park.
Change may sometimes be necessary. But that doesn't mean you've gotta like it.
