After looking at his expiring contract, his new set of owners and his flagging Chicago Cubs team, we've all assumed for some time that 2010 would be Lou Piniella's final season on the North Side.
Now that assumption has become official.
Bill Madden of the New York Daily News — a close friend of the 66-year-old manager — reported on Tuesday that Piniella will play out the string with his disappointing team and retire at the end of the year.
A release from the Cubs later confirmed the news that Sweet Lou is indeed saying so long.
Said Piniella in the release:
"Why make this announcement now? [Cubs general manager] Jim Hendry asked me in recent weeks regarding my future with the team and I told him I had made the decision to retire at the end of the season. Since my decision has now been made, I don't want to mislead anyone about my intentions when asked in the future.
"But more importantly, announcing my decision now is what's best for this organization in the long run. It gives Jim Hendry ample time to find the next manager and he doesn't need to do so in secrecy."
Piniella currently holds a 307-271 record and two NL Central titles over three-plus seasons with Chicago, but it's safe to say that his time with the team — like the 48 Cubs managers before him — will end in disappointment. The Cubs failed to win a playoff game during either of Piniella's two playoff appearances, and they're currently sleepwalking through a season that has them 10.5 games behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals.
