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Opinion: Jim Riley | |||||||||||
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Piniella's passion spread to fans throughout Northwest When he acted like a crazy man, throwing bases or kicking his hat or spewing profanities so fast they formed salty combinations, I often wondered why everyone seemed so quick to forgive Lou Piniella his indiscretions. How was it that he, or any other grown man for that matter, could get away with such childish behavior? Now that there is the very real likelihood that Lou may have managed his last season in Seattle, the answer is obvious. All of Piniella's foibles were easily excused because of his abiding passion for the game. Whenever Lou did something silly, it was OK. It was just Lou was just being Lou. He couldn't help himself. That passion has spread to an entire region of baseball fans. Without Piniella and the enthusiasm he helped generate with that magical team of 1995, there might be no Safeco Field. It was Lou at the helm as a small market, unsophisticated franchise known only for string of losing seasons turned into a baseball powerhouse. Along with his passion, Piniella displayed a loyalty unique in what is often a heartless game. Who else would have stayed soooo long with Bobby Ayala when all rational thought demanded he be optioned to Everett? Who else would have brought Norm Charlton back from the convalescent home for one last shot? Who else would have stuck with Jay Buhner when it became obvious the only fastball he was going to catch up with was sitting on a tee? And yet, despite this fierce loyalty that colored his judgment and made him easy to second guess, Piniella also found a way to win. In 10 years in Seattle, Piniella finished with a winning record seven times while winning a total of 840 games. That record, given where the Mariners were when he came aboard, is why so many teams in baseball would love to put up with his tantrums. Before Piniella, the Mariners had one winning season in 16 years. Maybe one of the decisions Lou can't bring himself to make is whether the Mariners should offer Edgar Martinez the opportunity to play one more season. No one has epitomized the Mariners more than Martinez during Piniella's tenure and maybe that's why Lou decided now might be the right time to go. It's that kind of loyalty we've come to expect out of Piniella. It's why, last year, when the New York Yankees were on the verge of bouncing the Mariners from the playoffs once again, Piniella angrily confronted a group of print journalists waiting to get into the Mariner locker room. "We're coming back here," Piniella said, knowing it would take a couple of unlikely victories in New York to force that to happen. "You can print it." Most did. And when the Mariners did not get the series back to Seattle, when the damn Yankees went to the World Series again, everyone forgave Lou for his erroneous prediction. If Piniella truly has managed his last game in Seattle, who can replace him? It was Piniella who turned around one of the worst franchises in the history of the game and gave the team immediate credibility by his mere presence. It's hard not to feel a little sad that Lou is leaving, but it always seemed like he was an east coast guy working on the west coast. He was here 10 years. We can be thankful for that. | ||||||||||
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