Eaglie's Aviary

Monday, October 16, 2006

New Manager, Same Goat Jokes


Little known fact: The Curse of the Billy Goat is also referred to in some hardcore, gun-toting, compound-dwelling Cubs fans' households as the Curse of Hitler, since the last time the Cubs went to the World Series was just after the fall of Hitler. If this were a more common reference, the Cubs may have won the World Series by now. No one wants to fight a goat.


Now I get to be jaded about a new manager three years from now. The Cubs just signed Manager Lou Pinella to replace Dusty Baker.

Doing a quick, very shallow search (is there any other kind of search in Blog Journalism?), Lou Pinella has a slightly better track record than Dusty Baker had. He won a World Series with Cincinnati and won divisions with the Yankees, Reds, Mariners, and not the Devil Rays a few more times. Dusty never won a series, though he brought the Giants far enough to get beaten by the Anaheim Mighty Angels.

Pinella also has a famous incident where he picked up and threw first base. Look at Number 6 for some details. A man who tosses a base is surely a winning gentleman. While you're at it, read Number 2, too. Lou Pinella may do something to rival that after enough years with the Cubs.

Lou Pinella is no longer fighting his base-throwing demons... he's now fighting history (see Far Right).