Chicago Cubs fans were to honor Atlanta Braves Manager Bobby Cox who was making his final appearance at Wrigley Field today. In surprise fashion, they also found themselves bidding fond farewell to their own manager, Lou Piniella.

Earlier today, Piniella informed the Cubs organization that today would be his last in the Cubs dugout as the manager. Piniella cited personal obligations as the reason for his abrupt departure.

After analyzing his mother’s condition, it became clear to Lou that his mind was not on baseball and the time had come for him to step aside, rather than wait until the end of the season.

“When Lou has been up here he has wanted to be with this mother. When he has been down in Florida with her, he has wanted to be with the club,” Cubs owner Tom Ricketts told some fans during the game.

“I wish we had known earlier so we could have done something more special for him.” – Cubs Owner Tom Ricketts.

The Cubs had already planned a tribute to Cox before today’s game and quickly added a tribute for Piniella to include this afternoon. The crowd gave Piniella a standing ovation, which he acknowledged, that perhaps overshadowed the tribute to Cox.

Piniella held two emotional press conferences – one before the game and one after the Cubs 16-5 loss to the Braves. In his post game press conference, he apologized to the media for being so emotional, and started to cry.

“This is the last time I’ll be putting on a uniform. It was a day to remember and a day to forget.”

Piniella said he will remember the good times he had at Wrigley. He will remember the players, the fans, and the staff. He wished Mike Quade, who now takes over as manager for the rest of the season, well, and he admitted that no one who hasn’t been part of the Cubs organization before could imagine what it was like to be part of it.

Piniella also said that he noticed things in and around Wrigley he hadn’t noticed before, though he wasn’t specific when asked what those things were. “I wasn’t daydreaming,” he said. “I was noticing things I hadn’t noticed before.”

Fans can’t help but wish Lou well in his retirement. While there were many Lou bashers the past year, all Cubs fans will remember that he did take the team to the playoffs two consecutive years.

“We’ve raised the bar here,” Piniella said. “The fans expect better.”

In a press release Piniella said, “As I said last month, I couldn’t be more appreciative of the Cubs organization for providing me the opportunity to be their manager. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world and I consider this the ultimate way to end my managerial career.”

Used with permission of the author.

Miriam Romain is a Chicago-based sportswriter and national columnist covering the Chicago Cubs for Examiner.com. The Windy City native is also the Associate Editor for SBNation Chicago and has been published in the Maple Street Press Cubs annuals. In her free time, Romain is working on a book titled “Summers At Wrigley With My Dad.”

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