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Piniella, Rays Have Changed For The Better

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By JOE HENDERSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 17, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Some things make a lasting impression. For B.J. Upton, it came the night he ignored Lou Piniella's game plan because he thought he knew best.

The Rays were playing the Tigers, who had runners at first and second. Omar Infante, a dead-pull right-handed hitter, was at the plate. Upton, still at shortstop in those days, got into a conversation with second baseman Jorge Cantu about who should cover second base.

The problem is, Piniella had laid that out before the game. Upton was supposed to stay home at short and let Cantu cover the base when Infante was batting. But Infante had hit a couple of balls to the right side already that night, so Upton and Cantu decided on an audible.

"We got into this debate on the field," Upton said. "I ended up covering the bag. I took off for the base and Infante hit the ball right where I should have been standing. It would have been a tailor-made double play, out of the inning, but instead they got a hit and scored a run."

The fun part came next.

"Lou never stood up in the dugout," Upton said. "But before I could even get off the field, he was coming down the dugout to meet me."

Upton shook his head and smiled.

"I'll never forget that," he said.

It's a night for memories, for laughs and smiles. Lou is back in the house for the first time since he left 21/2 years ago following three seasons as Rays manager that never measured up to what he wanted. It was never dull though.

Piniella brings the Chicago Cubs to Tropicana Field for a series that is suddenly bigger than anyone would have guessed when the schedule first came out. The Rays are playing better than they ever have and the Cubs have Chicago thinking that, yes, really, this could be the year.

"I loved my three years there, I really did," Piniella said. "I enjoyed it. I learned a lot more from losing than I did from winning, believe me. Losing just got to me. It was tough on me, it really was."

Old Home Week

Actually, Piniella is just one of two ex-Rays managers taking part in this homecoming. His pitching coach, Larry Rothschild, managed the Rays for their first three seasons before he was fired 15 games into season No. 4. It is Rothschild's first time back in the Trop since then, too.

The mind races at exactly how far the earth would tilt if the Cubs won the World Series. It has been 100 years, you know, since that happened. It's a history that makes the Rays' little decade of despair seem like batting practice. The Cubs have the best record in the majors and we know what the Rays have been doing.

"I'm looking forward to coming back to Tampa but I'm not looking forward to playing the Devil Rays," Piniella said.

Devil Rays? Forgive him. A lot of things have changed since the last time Lou was at the Trop. For the Rays, and for him.

"Going to the Cubs has turned out to be a nice decision," he said. "I enjoy the big market and I enjoy the excitement of Wrigley Field. Chicago is such a great city. And I'm happy for the Rays, truly."

Conflicting Emotions

He will be all business when the game starts tonight, of course, but he is also honest. There is a part of him that wonders what might have been with the Rays, and another part that admits his tenure here was a mistake.

Ownership never provided the money or players he needed to compete and the frustration gnawed at him. When Stu Sternberg took over the captain's chair, one of his first moves was to reach a settlement that allowed Piniella out of the final year of his contract. Sternberg was committed to a methodical building process.

Piniella didn't want to wait.

Would he have even taken the job here had he known how it would work out?

"I wouldn't have come, no," he said. "From a win-loss standpoint it was a mistake. But I did get to spend four years at home one out of baseball and I was home when my dad and father-in-law died. That was important.

"I'm not a 50-year-old manager any more. There was an urgency for me. You can't win in that division with a $22 million payroll - it's that simple. I see they're spending a little money now; that's good. But we did develop some young players there. I'm proud about that."

Upton is one of those players. It'll be a little weird, looking over in the visiting dugout and seeing Piniella there this week. But all is well.

"He was a player's manager," Upton said, "and I really did enjoy playing for him. I wish him nothing but the best. He's a good man. I'm glad it's working out for him."

It is working out for everyone.

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