Lou Piniella continues to impress. In an article today, Dave van Dyck quotes Uncle Lou on his baseball philosophy. (Link) The big news is that Lou plans to play for the big inning early in the game, and play small ball to tack on extra runs at the end of the game. Since this was often a complaint with Dusty Baker, it's good to hear Lou is considering this.

For all the rest of the talk, I'll just let you read the article... but the quotes are what got me thinking. The biggest difference so far between Dusty and Lou is that Lou will engage in theoretical discussions in the media. He's been quoted numberous times discussing who will bat in the two spot, what his preferences for the outfield will be, and why it's important for pitchers not to issue walks.

As much as we lampoon Dude Dusty, I am positive the man thought about these things. He's been a successful manager, and that success was not solely due to writing 'Barry Bonds' into the lineup for a decade. However, Dusty rarely deigned to share these thoughts with the Chicago media. Perhaps he was sensitive to suggestions that Mike Scioscia 'out managed' him in the 2002 World Series, but during his time in Chicago, Dusty absolutely refused to talk about the game in theory, or in specifics. The few times he did, we were rewarded with gems like 'walking clogs the bases' and that it's not called 'runs walked in.' (My apologies that I don't have the exact quotes.)

Lou, on the other hand, has quieted most of his detractors by saying the right things. His quotes about tendencies are nothing earth-shattering, but by letting Cubs fans know that there are more qualities needed from a number two batter, other than playing second base or shortstop, he's reassured us worriers that indeed he is thinking about his lineup construction.

The important thing to remember is that a manager's success is largely dictated by how well his players play. Dusty's failure was largely because of Jim Hendry's constant reliance on a thin roster, but he also shot himself in the foot with the fans by playing certain players in certain roles, but refusing to discuss these things in the media.

Sweet Lou has the advantage of a deeper roster, and so naturally his decisions are going to look better. For instance, if Dusty wanted to rest Matt Murton last year, we most likely saw a roster with Freddie Bynum in it. This year, if Thunder Matt takes the day off, we'll be seeing Cliff Floyd.