The End of an Era

Two World Series Championships, six NL Pennants, and 579 wins – and counting – are the combined achievements of managers Lou Piniella and Bobby Cox. At the culmination of their 2010 season, each of these legendary managers will begin their journey into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

I don’t like the term “calling it quits” for them; it does no justice for the sparkling careers of two teachers that will, more than likely, end in Cooperstown. I call them teachers because that’s what the great ones do; albeit, in different ways, but the influence remains the same.

Piniella, a former major league left fielder, took over the Steinbrenner Era Yankees and led them to a 90-win, 2nd place finish in just his first year. However, as is the case with most of Steinbrenner’s managers, ‘Sweet Lou’ only lasted about 2 ½ seasons as the Yankees manager before taking over for the Cincinnati Reds.

Piniella took over the reigns from Pete Rose – a Hall of Famer in his own right – and took a 75-win team to a World Series sweep the very next year against the Oakland A’s.

Sweet Lou – who earned the name for his sweet swing and, later, kept the moniker as an ironic reminder of his fiery demeanor – went on to coach for the Mariners, Devil Rays and is now with the Cubs. Each of these teams improved their win totals by a combined 54 games – the Cubs went from worst in their division, with 66 wins, to the first round of the playoffs with 85 wins. Piniella’s Yankees were the only team not to improve under his management – the Yankees went from 97 wins to 90 in Piniella’s first season as manager.

Have you heard of a young gentleman by the name, Alex Rodriguez? He was Piniella’s first round choice in his first year as manager for the Mariners. It’s also no surprise that ‘The Kid’ – Ken Griffey, Jr. – became ‘the man’ that same year, improving from 27 homers to 45 in ’93 – the start of a Griffey’s best 7-year stretch, which made him an icon.

Other players Lou drafted include: Red Sox captain, Jason Varitek, lefty, Matt Thornton, Rays starters Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis, Delmon Young, and the hot hitting rookie, Reid Brignac.

Lou is probably best known, today, for his outrageous rants and no-nonsense managing philosophy; but what many don’t realize is that his antics stem from his great passion for the game. His track record alone speaks for itself, having coached for some of the best franchises in baseball and giving other ones – namely the Mariners and Rays – an identity.



Lou was never a fan of showboating or fanfare; he played the game to win, and that is something baseball fans should never forget.

“Just go out there and play,” said Piniella. “And play hard, have fun, win a ballgame; be humble about it, and go out and try to do it the next day again, instead of having that bravado.

“All of a sudden you've got to back up bravado. You don't have to back up humility.”

As for Cox, it’s much of the same. He took over a team in turmoil – the Braves had three different managers in 1977 – and brought them a consistency that fans hadn’t seen in years. After the Major League Baseball strike in 1981 – this stemmed from owners’ disputes over free agency compensation – Cox left the Braves to coach the Blue Jays from ’82-85.

His brief stint north of the border culminated in true Bobby Cox fashion and turned out to be the first of his, now four, manager of the year awards – it was also, coincidentally, his first ever first place finish.

After a 5-year layoff, Cox retained his managerial position with the Braves, taking over for the highly unsuccessful Russ Nixon. That very next year, Cox picked up where he left off with the Blue Jays, winning the NL East and taking his first Major League Pennant. This would become a theme of Bobby Cox’s Braves as he went on to win the division every year until 2005, with the exception of a 2nd place finish back in ’94.

In that span, he won 5 pennants and his only World Series trophy. He also got to coach one of the best three-headed rotations in baseball history in John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Greg Maddox.

I’m not sure if he was responsible for drafting Chipper Jones in 1990, but the rest of his draftees aren’t too shabby either. He’s responsible for drafting: World Series closer and current Cardinals Ace, Adam Wainwright, All-Star MVP Brian McCann, middle infielders Yunel Escobar and Kelly Johnson as well as top-of-the-line prospect Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Oh, and I believe you’ve already heard of Jason Heyward, I hear he’s pretty good.

His patience with these young players is a big part of why so many of them go on to have successful careers in the big leagues.

“You got to have some patience with them,” Cox said about bringing up young players. “(There’s) no sense in bringing them up here, playing four or five games, sending them right back out.

“If they're good enough to put on this uniform, to me, they're good enough to play.”

Cox wasn’t the same fiery, outspoken manager that Piniella was - although, he had is moments - but he was heard where it matters most, in the locker room. Players like Chipper Jones, Heyward, and McCann have been, and likely will be, mainstays in the Braves lineup long after he hangs up the cleats. All of these players, each at a different stage in their careers, are, no doubt, better players and people because they got a chance to play for one of the greatest managers in the game.

Only time will tell when baseball will have two more polarizing figures in baseball; and, God forbid, they both leave the game at the same time. Managers like Ozzie Guillen, Tito Francona, Joe Torre, Joe Maddon and Charlie Manuel are the next in a line of great managers; however, none of them, alone, will be able to fill the void left by Sweet Lou Piniella and Robert Joseph Cox.

By Aaron Hilton
Follow me on twitter @Way_2_Tall401 or @AaronVHilton