The Cubs insist that Tuesday's announcement of Piniella's retirement was in the works for much of the past week.

And Piniella explained that the ``important'' reason for announcing the impending retirement 2 1/2 months before it takes effect was the time and flexibility it gives the club to find and hire the best replacement.

But the announcement came off looking like a scramble earlier in the day - because it was.

The Cubs say they planned it for late afternoon but word broke early in the day after a longtime New York writer and Piniella friend, Bill Madden, talked to Piniella's agent and reported it.

That's when the scramble began to move up the timeline and issue a statement.

``It caused me a headache,'' said Piniella, who was disappointed he didn't get a chance to tell his coaches and players before news broke.

``I'm not too happy with my agent,'' he said.