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The Main Attraction

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 16, 2008

When Lou Piniella got his first look at the Cubs' interleague schedule and saw his team didn't have to face the Red Sox or Yankees during its June jaunt against AL East teams, he said he thought his team might be getting a bit of a break.

He was quick to re-emphasize might.

As Piniella returns to his hometown this week - bringing the best record in baseball with him - to face the Rays, he will be managing against a team whose early success ranks as the game's most compelling story.

So much for a leisurely jaunt through the AL East.

No doubt this was the type of success Piniella envisioned the Rays having when the organization lured him from Seattle in October 2002. Even though the approach wore thin on the veteran manager during his three-year tenure here, causing Piniella to speak out on many occasions, this season's results - and the prospects for future success - speak for themselves.

Regardless, Piniella's Cubs have been quite a story themselves, with the North Siders on pace for their first 100-win season since 1935 and seemingly headed for successive postseason appearances for the first time since 1906-08.

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