Lou Piniella's Cubs Come Up Short in Manager's Final Game Before Retiring

Lou Piniella announced last month his intention to retire as a manager following this season. Piniella had left the Cubs twice since then to tend to his ailing mother, and Sunday morning he announced his intention to step down effective immediately.

"My mom needs me home and that's where I'm going," Piniella said.

The Cubs' 16-5 loss to the Braves Sunday was not the ideal send-off, but the presence of Bobby Cox in the opposite dugout helped make it a memorable exit at Wrigley Field. Just before the first pitch, the two managing stalwarts exchanged lineup cards one last time and posed for a picture at home plate with the umpiring crew as the Chicago crowd cheered.

Piniella was emotional in his postgame press conference (video here), struggling to hold himself together.

"It's a good day to remember, and also a good day to forget," Piniella said. "... The game wasn't pretty. I would rather reflect on the good times I've had here. There have been a lot of good times, a lot of good people, it's been a lot of fun."

Greg Couch: Lou Piniella Deserved Better Than the Cubs in His Final Act

Prior to the game, he released a statement explaining his decision.

"When I previously announced my intentions to retire at the end of the season, a primary reason for my decision was that it would allow me to spend more valuable time with my family," the statement read.

"That time has unfortunately gotten here sooner than I could have ever expected. As many know, the several weeks since that announcement was made have been very difficult on a family level, requiring two leaves of absence from the club. While I fully intended to manage this club the rest of the season, a family situation at home now requires my full attention.

"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."

The Cubs announced that third base coach Mike Quade will take over Piniella's role for the rest of the season, and then be considered to take over as manager next year as well. Somewhat surprisingly, bench coach Alan Trammell, who took on the role of manager during Piniella's two leaves of absence, was told he won't be considered for the job by general manager Jim Hendry.

Piniella's retirement comes in after 23 years of managing the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, Rays and Cubs. He won one World Series with the Reds back in 1990 and departs with a career record of 1,835-1,713.

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