Okay, okay…so this isn’t your typical “Friday 5”. And no…it isn’t WITH Lou Piniella as much as it is ABOUT Lou Piniella.
Instead of asking one guy five questions…I asked five different guys the same question (“is recently retired manager Lou Piniella a Hall of Famer”) and here is how they responded.
Joe Oliver (former big league catcher, played for Piniella from 1990 to 1992, 1998 and 2000): Lou Piniella has won a lot of games as a manager and I look at how many franchises he has affected in a positive way and turned them around. Lou saved baseball in Seattle and got Tampa Bay headed in the right direction. The Cubs were doing well, they just fell short with bad breaks and…they are the Cubs. (Laughs) He should be in the Hall someday as a great manager who just loved the game and loved winning.
Kip Gross (Victoria Seals manager, played for Piniella in 1990 and 1991): In my limited time with Lou I have no doubt that he got the best he could out of every player that would listen to him. What I liked most about Lou was he told you NOW if you messed up OR if you did good. He didn’t wait until after the game because it might come up again. In my opinion…best manager I ever had. Hall of Famer? Absolutely.
Glenn Braggs (former big league outfielder, played for Piniella from 1990 to 1992): There’s no doubt in my mind that he is a Hall of Famer. I recently did an interview with God’s Game Plan where I talked about my relationship with Lou. You can read Part One HERE and Part Two HERE.
George Castle (author of Sweet Lou and the Cubs: A Year Inside the Dugout): I do think Lou, on the basis of his total baseball achievements, will one day be in the Hall of Fame.
Bobby Ewing (uber baseball fan…good friend and supporter of The Hall of Very Good): I think Piniella is a Hall of Famer based on his career as both a player and a manager. First off, in 1969, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year. He is one of only three managers (Fred Clarke and Joe Torre are the others) to have more than 1500 hits and 1500 wins. In 2001, he led the Seattle Mariners to an astounding 116 victories. And only Piniella, Torre and Tony LaRussa have managed in the ALCS and NLCS. Put him in!
So again, what do you think? Go ahead and vote and feel free to leave your comments below.
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