Eyre's Story Shows Both Sides Of Managerial Coin

It’s been told before, but the story of Scott Eyre’s rapid descent in Chicago and rapid ascent in Philadelphia gets another glimpse with Phil Rogers’ baseball column in the Chicago Tribune.

Maybe the most telling pieces of the column hint at the difference between Cubs manager Lou Piniella and Charlie Manuel.

When asked why Eyre thrived in Philadelphia, Manuel was frank:

“Hell, we just gave him the ball.”

Meanwhile, Piniella comes off as grouchy, non-accessible and stodgy. Well, isn’t he already?:

Kerry Wood and Ryan Dempster advised Eyre to talk to Piniella, asking for more chances to pitch. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

“They might have been right,” he said. “But that’s not me. I’m not a confrontational guy. I just kept hoping he’d put in the game, and he never did.”

Piniella even called him “Steve Ire.” Really? Can’t imagine Charlie Manuel holding that kind of mean-spirited grudge. Then again, maybe that’s one of the reasons he won the series last year and the Cubs sputtered in the division series.