I've always thought that Lou Piniella was a good manager.  You need to look no further than 1990 and the Reds beating the mighty A's (managed by the genius) in the world series.  But yesterday's display?  It was sad.  Very sad.  It looked like Willie Mays with the '73 Mets.  An old, gray haired, beer bellied shadow of what he once was having a planned, staged meltdown for what?  To fire up his team?  To fire up the fans?  To make Sportscenter?

What I find interesting is that the Cubs can take managers who have had success in the past and reduce them to a quivering mass of jello at the end of the Cub experience.  The reason people keep taking the job?  Because of the challenge.  It's the same reason seasoned coaches who should no better take jobs with the Arizona Cardinals or Los Angeles Clippers.  They don't do it for the money, they do it because they want to be the guy that wins the trophy on a team where people thought a title could never be won.

Lou's tirade yesterday was the last desperate act of a man who must ask himself daily "what did I do to myself?"  Lou's last few years in Tampa, were horrid, bad teams, lots of losses and poor ownership.  And there is no doubt that the appeal of coming to the Cubs was most likely the Tribune's commitment to going out and signing a talented team.  Even with a team, who on paper should be dominating the league's weakest division, the Cubs have underperformed to a level that is almost unbelievable by Cub standards.  And for over 50 games, Lou Piniella has stood on this crossing watching the train wrecks.

The most telling thing about Lou's tirade yesterday was none of the Cubs players or coaches wanted to save him or help him.  How many times have you seen managers go to town on umpires and be restrained by their staff to lessen the blow that occurs when Bob Watson reviews the film.  Where exactly was Mike Quade, who was right there when the fracas started?  Where was long time friend and confidant Matt Sinatro, who was coaching first base.  How about bench coach Alan Trammel or pitching coach Larry Rothchild or hitting coach Gerald Perry, who was eager to keep Carlos Zambrano from clocking Michael Barrett the day before?  Instead, it was the Lou show as Piniella descended further and further into scripted madness, being pushed out of the way by umpires (MLB needs to discipline the umpires as well in this case.)

For Cub fans, it was just another frustrating day at the ballpark.  For America, it was a glimpse into how bad things had become for a team with huge pre-season expectations and how far their once proud manager had fallen.  I would not be surprised if Lou Piniella turned in his uniform and let Alan Trammell deal with it.  After all, the Cubs current winning percentage of .415 is still head and shoulders above Trammell's winning percentage of .382 in three years with Detroit, so for Trammell, it's an upgrade.

Yesterday's tirade by Piniella coupled with Friday's dust up with Zambrano and Barrett, indicate that Cub fans will again wait until next year.  But that's okay.  They're used to it.

Lightning Round

• One good bi-product caused by all of the things going on at Wrigley is that Chicago is totally ignoring how bad the White Sox are.  Can someone hold a damn lead, boys?  Mike MacUseless, see ya.  David Aardsma, thanks for playing.  Mat Thornton, buh bye now.  Send the whole damned lot of them down to A ball and get some people up here who can pitch.  Or better yet, start the White Flag trades now and send them all away for the 2007 equivalent of Mike Caruso.  Because anyone who thinks this White Sox team can catch Cleveland is crazy, right Jer?
• Looks like the Sox won't have to face Roger Clemens after all on Monday night.  I wonder what ESPN is going to do after all of the hype and a broadcast planned for Monday night.  "It's the battle of two under performing teams, Monday night on ESPN."  If they want to make it interesting, broadcast the game only on ESPN Desportes so the fans can't figure out what they are saying or what their teams are doing.
• Speaking of missing a name pitcher, the Cubs get no part of John Smoltz who apparently can't give them the finger.
• In the chase for Lord Stanley's Cup, the Sens fight their way back into contention with a 5-3, helped in part by Chris Pronger, who put the puck in his own net.  Oops.  Game four is Monday night.
• Part of the reason that America no longer follows hockey is because the American media doesn't deem it important enough to cover.  The only way this will change is to end the season at the beginning of April and have the finals before the NBA playoffs really get cranked up.  While I would take Daniel Alfredson and Dany Heatly over LaBron James any day of the week, writers and columnists prefer ballin' over pucks.  It's a sad reality that wasn't true 15 years ago, you know prior to Gary Bettman becoming commissioner.
• Looks like former Colts QB Jack Trudeau got a hold of the Mark Chmura "how to" manual.
• Lawyers for Mike Shannon's restaurant seek a dismissal to drop the suit rendered by the family of Josh Hancock.  Missouri is a very tough state to prove liability in when it comes to "dram shop" laws.  Here's hoping they are successful and that personal responsibility once again rules the day.
• A doctor has determined that touching yourself in your sleep is a disorder.  The correct medical name is "dreamofkournakoviainahottubitis."  In an unrelated story, eating salami can rev up your sex life.  Best not eat it right before bed.
  
• She's going to get half his money, his house, his cars and a whole bunch more if you smell what Mrs. Rock is cooking.
• HE'S BAAAAAAAAAACK!
• Phillip Wellman, the now famous Double AA manager whose tirade the other night made Lou Piniella look like a beginner, is actually a very nice and decent down to earth guy.  He's the brother-in-law of a guy I used to work with and I've talked to and interviewed him a few times.  For the longest time, he was in the Reds organization at Chattanooga and then moved on to the Atlanta organization where eventually he will go down in history for this moment of baseball zen: