By Bob Warja
'll be honest, I don't particularly like the more mellow Lou Piniella. I long for a return to the days when "Sweet Lou" was an oxymoron, and not an appropriate description of the man.
Just the other day, Lou got mad about the Cubs losing six straight spring training games. Now that's more like it. Sure, it's only exhibition season, but Lou doesn't want the team to start getting used to losing.
Makes sense to me.
Unfortunately, we haven't seen much of that Lou since he became the Cubs manager Sure, he had that one infamous explosion during the 2007 season, which seemed more like an orchestrated fit than real madness, but it was good theater nonetheless.
And the Cubs performed better afterwards.
Now, I understand enough about the game of baseball to know that having a lunatic as manager isn't going to guarantee you anything. In fact, it's not necessarily even a good thing.
For it's a long season, and a marathon and not a sprint as the cliche goes. So some even-handed temperament is probably in order.
But dammit, part of Lou's allure is his fiery demeanor and the occasional meltdown. It let his team know he meant business and wouldn't accept losing.
But the conversion from madman to reasonable guy has been a slow, steady process.
As a player, Lou was so intense he once tore down a fence surrounding the outfield. He routinely destroyed water coolers and other assorted dugout assets.
Then, as a manager, Lou calmed down a bit. Yet early on in his managing career, Lou was famous for throwing the occasional base and wrestling with the occasional relief pitcher.
Maybe it has to do with his advancing age, but Lou slowly got more mellow as time went on. Sure, he still cares about winning and playing the game the right way.
But last Sept. was a perfect example of what was missing from his arsenal as manager.
The Cubs did not play well down the stretch, but instead of kicking them in the ass, Lou made excuses. He even said not to expect the team to go to the World Series.
In short, he did not get the team ready to play postseason baseball. I don't want to revisit that time, but where was Lou's intensity then?
After game one of the playoffs, when the Cubs not only lost but played embarrassing baseball, Lou said not to worry.
He wasn't even worried after the game two loss. The Cubs did not just lose, they played terrible baseball. As they choked away the playoffs, there was simply no sense of urgency from Sweet Lou.
Look, I realize sports teams have won with fiery leaders like Mike Ditka and with laid-back coaches like Tom Landry.
And the players are grown men, professionals who make a ton of money, and they shouldn't need someone to babysit them.
But teams take their cue from their leader. It's a fact. The team's "personality" often reflects the person in charge.
If nothing else, the occasional meltdown will entertain us as fans. As would the occasional win in November.
I want the old Lou back, come to think of it. The only sweetness this town has ever needed was a certain Hall of Fame running back for Da' Bears.
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