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      Report: Cubs’ Lou Piniella to retire at the end of season

      July 20, 2010 /
      June 21, 2007 - Arlington, Texas.Chicago Cubs manager Lou Piniella watches the action in the game against the Rangers at the Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Arlington, Texas on June 21, 2007. .The Rangers defeated the Cubs 6-5 ..Photo  Jeff Etessam / Cal Sport Media Photo via Newscom

      The New York Daily News is reporting that Cubs’ skipper Lou Piniella will retire at the end of the 2010 season.

      The 67-year-old Piniella, who led the Cubs to NL Central division titles in 2007 and 2008, is in the last year of his contract and has endured a particularly stressful last two seasons in which so many of his high-paid players, including outfielder Alfonso Soriano, third baseman Aramis Ramirez and pitcher Carlos Zambrano have underperformed to their salaries. This year, the Cubs are mired in fourth place, 10 1/2 games back and Piniella, who is in the last year of his contract, wanted to end to the speculation about his future for the good of the organization.

      Earlier this season, he had to suspend Zambrano after the volatile pitcher got into a dugout fight with teammate Derrek Lee in the middle of a game. Last year, Piniella had numerous similar confrontations with temperamental outfielder Milton Bradley, who was traded to the Seattle Mariners last winter.

      While Piniella has been one of the most successful managers in baseball history, there’s no doubt that the Cubs need to go in another direction at the end of the year. Their struggles this season can hardly be pinned on Piniella and Piniella alone, but it’s clear that his style has run its course on the North side of Chicago.

      Speculation continues to grow that former Cub Ryne Sandberg will take over as the club’s next manager. He has stated that managing the Cubs is his ideal job and after moving through the minor league ranks over the past four seasons, it appears that he’s suited for the position as well. We’ll see what management decides after the season.

      Getting back to “Sweet Lou,” this wasn’t the way he wanted to go out (i.e. marred in fourth place in a weak NL Central) but the timing is right. The Cubs will be undergoing a lot of changes this offseason and Piniella isn’t the right fit for a (potentially) young club that needs a lot of massaging.

      External Sports, MLB

      Mike Garrett out as USC AD, Pat Haden in

      July 20, 2010 /
      17 Dec 1997: Athletic Director Mike Garrett of USC talks at a press conference after the firing of head coach John Robinson of the USC Trojans football staff at the Sheraton Grande Hotel in Los Angeles, California.

      The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Pat Haden will replace Mike Garrett as USC’s next athletic director.

      Garrett came under fire recently when USC was put on four years probation by the NCAA for a series of violations, primarily involving its football program, that added up to a lack of institutional control. That kind of NCAA action almost always results in fingers being pointed at the athletic director, and Nikias’ action appears to be in response to those NCAA penalties.

      Reports state that Garrett “retired,” but the fact is that he’s being pushed out and Trojan fans should rejoice.

      Some like to point out that Garrett oversaw the football program’s success over the years, but don’t forget that it was former graduate coaching assistant and current Syracuse AD Daryl Gross that brought Pete Carroll to Southern Cal – not Garrett.

      Garrett’s claim to fame is subsequently having a hand in the departures of basketball coaches Henry Bibby and Tim Floyd, ruining a once proud USC baseball program with the firing of Mike Gillespie (the university maintains that he retired, but even he is on record as saying he was let go) and now, being the man in charge when the NCAA handed down its two-year bowl ban in light of the Reggie Bush investigation.

      Garrett may have held the position for 17 years, but his recent track record speaks for itself and the USC faithful should be encouraged that Haden is coming in.

      College Football, External Sports

      2010 Tour de France: Armstrong misses out on sprint win

      July 20, 2010 /
      July 19, 2010 - Bagnieres-De-Luchon, FRANCE - epa02253649 Radioshack team rider Lance Armstrong of the US cycles to the finish of the 15th stage of the 97th Tour de France 2010 cycling race between Pamiers and Bagneres-De-Luchon, France, 19 July 2010.

      Per Bloomberg BusinessWeek:

      Lance Armstrong missed out on a Tour de France stage win today after being outsprinted at the end of the three-week race’s toughest day, which included four Pyrenean mountain climbs.

      The seven-time champion finished sixth of eight riders in the dash to the finish in Pau, after helping drive the pace of the breakaway group for about five hours. Pierrick Fedrigo won the stage, the 16th of 20, while Alberto Contador kept an eight- second lead in the overall standings.

      “It was full gas all day,” Armstrong, who hasn’t taken a stage this year, told reporters. “I’m not the best guy in the race but I still have the spirit of a fighter.”

      Defending champ Alberto Contador continues to lead the race by eight seconds.

      Thanks to Bing for sponsoring this post.

      External Sports, General Sports

      Will the Brewers trade Prince Fielder at the trade deadline?

      July 20, 2010 /
      Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder eyes a pitch against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 18, 2010 in Denver. Colorado beat Milwaukee 2-0. UPI/Gary C. Caskey Photo via Newscom

      The Brewers seemingly have two options when it comes to Prince Fielder: trade him now, or trade him later. Either way, they’re going to have to trade him at some point because Scott Boras is going to make sure that in a year and a half, Fielder is richer than Bill Gates’ personnel chef.

      Fielder signed a two-year, $18 million contract extension with the Brewers in January of last year. Only $4.34 million remains on that contract through the end of the season and then Fielder becomes arbitration-eligible for the 2011 season. After making another $15-16 million in arbitration next year, Boras will ensure that the slugger makes $100 million once he hits free agency in 2012.

      A bidding war over a home run commodity like Fielder isn’t something the small market Brewers are prepared for. They could break the bank in hopes of re-signing the slugger, but the more likely scenario is that GM Doug Melvin will seek a top-pitching prospect in a trade for Fielder now or in the offseason.

      If Melvin waits, he’ll probably have more suitors interested in the first baseman. But if he trades him at the deadline this year, he might find a desperate general manager who is willing to give up a top arm in order to acquire a slugger for the stretch run.

      There are several teams that could be interested in Fielder’s services, although you could make an argument for and against every one of them. The Brewers scouted White Sox pitcher Daniel Hudson on Monday night, but it’s doubtful that he could be the centerpiece in a deal for Fielder. At least not when the Rays (Jeremy Hellickson and Wade Davis) and Giants (Madison Bumgarner and Zach Wheeler) have more highly touted arms and could be interested in Fielder as well.

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      External Sports, MLB

      Larry Sanders, the surprise of Summer League?

      July 20, 2010 /
      PHILADELPHIA - MARCH 19: Alfred Aboya #12 of the UCLA Bruins shoots against Larry Sanders #1 of the VCU Rams during the first round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament at the Wachovia Center on March 19, 2009 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

      Maybe the term ‘surprise’ shouldn’t be applied to the 15th pick in the NBA Draft, but I wasn’t sure what to expect from the Bucks’ first rounder, who was most often described as ‘raw’ by the draft punditry.

      A little background: Sanders is 21 and left VCU after his junior season. He averaged 14-9 with 2.7 blocks per game last season. He’s 6-10.5 in shoes and has a monstrous 7-5.75 wingspan, giving him a standing reach of 9-4, which in his draft class trails only DeMarcus Cousins, Solomon Alabi and Jerome Jordan, who all have a standing reach of 9-5. His athletic tests (vertical 28″, lane agility 12.49) were not good, though he can really run the floor for a guy his size.

      He also had a good Summer League…here are a few comments from around the internets:

      Matt Moore, CBS Sports: The Bucks are going to have a fleet of capable, talented power forwards this season. Sanders was one of the most impressive rookies in Vegas, playing solid defense, showing off a well-balanced frame, and looking very much like a versatile offensive option. Sanders’ mid-range game was considerably better than expected. He showed nice tough with the ball and again, is a mountain in terms of size. He needs to work on his spacing and defensive awareness, but it was a very impressive showing.

      TrueHoop: How will Larry Sanders’ game fit in with Milwaukee’s existing parts? His sound face-up 18-footer will help a Bucks offense that was choked for open space in the half court. He also gives Brandon Jennings another dependable partner on the pick-and-roll and wins almost every race to the rim in transition. A Sanders-Andrew Bogut tandem could eventually constitute the best defensive frontcourt in the league. Milwaukee is unlikely to reach the highest echelon in the East with its firepower, but by blanketing the paint with two capable pick-and-roll defenders who can block shots and clean the glass, the Bucks have the makings of a team that could post a stingy defensive efficiency rating in the high 90s.

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      External Sports, Fantasy Basketball, NBA, NBA Draft, News, Rumors & Gossip

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