Lou Pinella
I have no doubt in my mind Lou Pinella should be this year’s manager of the year.
The leader of Cubs Nation has turned around a franchise that has now been suffering for 100 years.
By the time this is printed, there is a chance the Cubs will have already clinched the division, and are on their way to being the best team in the National League.
After having two games postponed because of Hurricane Ike, Pinella decided to go with Carlos Zambrano and Ted Lilly for their next two games.
Did Sweet Lou make the right choice? You tell me.
Zambrano went out and threw the Cubs’ first no-hitter since 1972, and Lilly took the mound the next day and took a no-no into the seventh inning.
This is the best team the Cubs have had since I’ve been alive, and the way they have been rolling, it doesn’t look like anyone will be able to stop them.
The manager of the year award in the National League should go to the manager of the best team in the N.L.
If you check the standings, or if you just watch them play, you will see the Chicago Cubs are the best team in baseball.
– Alex Mayster
Joe Torre
The New York Yankees are sitting with the Baltimore Orioles at the bottom of the AL East while the Los Angeles Dodgers are beaming in first place with manager Joe Torre.
Looks like so far the Dodgers got the better end of the stick.
This is the same Dodgers’ squad (well, Manny Ramirez is a big difference) from the year before who didn’t know how to put a player on first base, let alone figure out how to get them across home plate.
The struggles on the offense were downright wretched and filthy. When the most recognizable hitter on the team was a well-known racist past his prime (Jeff Kent), times are not good.
With no improvements made in the offseason, the historic franchise needed to rely on its pitching again.
Well, the pitching didn’t really show up too much either this year – at least, not to Dodgers expectations.
Brad Penny, who a year ago hovered around a 3.00 ERA, is a disgrace, Jason Schmidt practically doesn’t exist and Takashi Saito is done for the year.
So Torre was left with Jonathan Broxton and Matt Kemp to hold the team together. Give the man a pat on the back and don’t worry, this time the Dodgers picked up a worthwhile Red Sox player in ManRam, not another Derek Lowe or Nomar Garciaparra.
Tell me if Lou Pinella could’ve done what Torre did this season. Wait, he already tried with Tampa Bay and failed miserably.
– Dru Tate
