Lou Piniella, One Of Baseball’s All Time Greats, Is No Laughing Matter

This is the honest truth…When I am in a serious rut or need a big time pick-me-up to get through a really tough day, I turn to that wonderful, modern elixir called YouTube. On YouTube, I search for the man that always brings a smile to my face, can crack even the toughest scowl, and a set me off into a fit of laughter that puts me one step away from the looney bin. That man is baseball legendary player, coach, manager, mentor, and dirt kicking specialist, Mr. Lou Piniella. 

How can you possibly watch these videos with a straight face? From the first charge out of the dugout, to the soccer style kicking of his fallen baseball hat, to the reactions of players like Buhner and Griffey on the bench, Piniella is just epic in his umpire discussions. Come on, you have to admit, his antics are just absolutely side-splitting baseball humor that a lot of managers and coaches have tried to emulate but never ever will they ever duplicate. For my time and money, Lou is a legend, and with the magic of YouTube, he will live on forever for the enjoyment of future baseball fans. I tip my cap and then kick it around my office in your honor, sir!

I mentioned my trip to Hampton, VA the other day and the famous War Memorial Stadium. As Rachel and I were walking around, I noticed this wall of famous players posted who had played at War Memorial Stadium. Wow, some really heavy hitters, Hall of Famers, all-time greats on this wall – Bench, Bonds, Paige, Snider, Gary Carter, Juan Samuel, and there alongside all of them was none other than Lou Piniella. The wall says “notable players” and it sparked my curiosity of how good a player Piniella was. I am well aware of his legendary managerial career and wondered if he was ever close to being elected into Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame. Here is what I found out:

According to his baseball page on Baseball Reference, Piniella did in fact play in Hampton, VA. In 1963, Piniella (then 19 years old) played for the Peninsula Senators and hit a robust .310, good for 11th that year in the Carolina League. By the way, the batting champ of the 1963 Carolina League was 37 year old Billy Goodman of the Durham Bulls. Another fun fact, Piniella had 8 hit by pitches that season. I wonder if he ever charged the mound or was thrown out of a game brawling the pitcher who dinged him, hmmmmmm?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist. These videos are so epic!!! Okay more from Baseball Reference – 1700 plus hits, 102 home runs, career batting average of .291, and 3 World Series rings (New York Yankees) are just some of the Lou Piniella stat lines as a player. Major League debut at 21, Rookie of the Year in 1969 for the Kansas City Royals, All Star in 1972, played professional baseball for the better part of 2 decades from 1964 to 1984.  Played in over 1700 games, had over 6300 plate appearances, had 41 triples, and played consistent innings throughout the majority of his career. Was he the best of his generation, no. Was he best player on his team (s), most of the time, no. Was he a really, really good player? Absolutely.

So, I did some digging into Lou Piniella’s Hall of Fame voting record. It did not get off to a great start. Just 2 votes in 1990 would not keep him on the ballet going forward. However, let’s take a quick look at his managerial career and success. 23 Seasons, that is not a misprint. 23 seasons of being a professional, Major League Manager. This after being a player for 20 something years. If my math is correct, that is close to 50 years in professional baseball at the highest level in some important capacity. His managerial career spanned close to 3600 games, he won an astounding 112 games in 2001 with the Seattle Mariners and the 1990 World Series with the Cincinnati Reds. Piniella managed the Yankees, Reds, Devil Rays, Mariners, and Cubs and won 1827 out of those nearly 3600 games. Is he the best manager of all-time? No. Was he one of the best of his era? Absolutely. Aha, major factor in deciding if a player/manager is HOF worthy, right?

So, I just read that Piniella fell short again in the Veterans Committee’s latest vote (December, 2023). You need 12 votes to get in, Piniella received 11. So no Hall of Fame call from Cooperstown this year for Lou Piniella. But, I feel he is super close to getting the nod in 2024, and here are his career highlights (and my personal endorsement, take it or leave it) in case any voters are reading this blog:

• 1969 Rookie of the Year
• 1972, what a fantastic year for baseball players, All-Star player
• Notable player on the wall of fame at War Memorial Stadium, Hampton, VA
• Nearly 20 years as an average to good baseball player
• Part of 3 World Series Championships by you know who
• Successful Manager for 5 franchises, compiling over 1800 wins
• Kicked his baseball hat from short right field all the way to the first base coach’s box
• Kicked dirt on multiple MLB umpires after discussing a debatable call
• Made tons of players giggle and crack up in the dugout during histrionics on the field chatting it up with MLB umpires
• Is the funniest baseball player/manager to watch go nuclear in a rant over a missed call at the plate
• 50 plus years as a player, coach, manager, consultant in Major League Baseball – this is the real reason.
• Ok, one more video should seal it…

Oh my gosh, I need to a tissue to wipe away these tears of joy watching poetry in motion!!! To me it is an open and shut case, put Lou Piniella into the Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame.