THE GREAT DUSTY BAKER (AND STEVE STONE) VS. LOU PINIELLA DEBATE

THE GREAT DUSTY BAKER VS. LOU PINIELLA DEBATE

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/way-things-should-be/2010/03/dusty-baker-v-lou-piniella-who-will-win.html

These links provide some of the current debate that has provided a little sub-drama to the inter-city Cubs - Sox rivalry. I thought it was Kenny Williams who cautioned outsiders to stay out of White Sox business. I guess that caution doesn't preclude Sox employees and commentators from sticking their noses in other folks business.

It has morphed into a bit of a Lou Piniella v. Dusty Baker debate among the local reporters and commentators who are circling the wagons and defending the brethren against the evil "Uncle Lou".

http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=5275860

STEVE STONE COMMENTS:

"I think that means that Lou doesn't have a great grasp on what to do with young players," Stone said in the interview. "Because with Tyler Colvin, if you take a look at what he has accomplished in a short period of time, with limited play, you realize that he very well could be the one thing the Cubs have been looking for for six years. That's a left-handed run producer. Colvin could be that one guy. But he can't do it on the bench, so you make a decision that you play the guy."

LOU PINIELLA REBUTS:

Piniella said he's sick of hearing critiques from people that "haven't managed and won any games in the big leagues, but they think they know everything."

After railing against anonymous media for several minutes, Piniella outed Stone as the object of his ire.

"And Steve Stone, he's got enough problems doing what he does with the White Sox," Piniella said in the home dugout, his voice raising. "What job has he had in baseball besides talking on television or radio? What has he done? Why isn't he a farm director and bring some kids around? Why isn't he a general manager? Why hasn't he ever put the uniform on and be a pitching coach? Why hasn't he been a field manager? There are 30 teams out there that could use a guy's expertise like that.

"I'm tired of some of these guys, I really am. That's it. Let's go to baseball."

STEVE STONE ON RE-DIRECT:

Stone was asked by ESPN Chicago if Piniella is acting out of frustration.

"I can't look into Lou's psyche. I don't know," Stone said. "I do know he's getting $4 million a year to manage. I get paid to broadcast on Comcast SportsNet and WSCR radio. I have two TV shows and two radio shows a week. I also get the MLB package, and I watch a number of games every night. I spend my winter in Arizona watching the Arizona Fall League and seeing young kids from everybody's system. I go to all of spring training and make my way around various camps.

"I've seen more baseball players than Lou has. I just haven't managed them."

I'm with Lou via TKO on this one. Even though recently he has indicated that Tyler Colvin will get more PT, Stone's logic that because he has "seen more baseball players" than Lou has is a pretty weak basis for the validity of his points and perspective.

But this is the climate we operate in today. Everybody is a quasi-GM in waiting on the basis of directing a fantasy league team or two to their company championship. All the Monday morning QB's think that years of observation qualifies them to second guess those who are out there doing it.

I could watch doctors do open-heart surgery for years, read numerous books on the subject, watch the Heart Transplant Surgery channel on cable and play the old-school game "Operation" until my fingers fell off and my guess is most people would not want me to perform heart surgery on them should the need arise.

So Lou wins on the basis of the strength of his "there's a reason Steve Stone isn't a GM-Farm Director-Scouting Director-Manager-Pitching Coach for any team in MLB" even though he has openly pined for said positions in the past.

Lou Piniella was an accomplished hitting coach, a three-time Manager of the year, led the Mariners to a 116 win season, led the 1990 Reds to a World Championship and has a plus .500 record with the Cubs. He has led them to two first place finishes and while he has treaded water recently with the Cubs, all items that are not on the Johnnie Baker resume except for perhaps the hitting coach part. Piniellas Cubs teams have not fallen off a cliff like the D. Baker Cubs did. ( Baker's teams went from 88-89-79-66 win totals during his regime - Piniella's are all plus .500 )

Now I like Dusty Baker -- the Giants have not been the same since he left -- but in this argument, Lou Piniella wins by a decisive KO. It's not even close people. And the little weasels who even imply that there might be a racial component involved, should take another look at the Baker record before they wax nostalgic about how great those years were (ESPN1000 JHood is the leader of this cabal). Baker simply did not get the job done and the team stopped listening to him.

They may do the same to Lou, or he may get tired of talking, as he appears to be doing, but Lou Piniella is a better manager, by far, than either Dusty Baker or Steve Stone.

"It is not the critic who counts, nor the man who points how the strong man stumbled or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly...who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt

YOU GO LOU!!! YOU EVEN HAVE TEDDY ROOSEVELT ON YOUR SIDE!!!