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07/21/2010 -
CHICAGO (AP) -Just like a long line of predecessors, Lou Piniella thought he could lead the Chicago Cubs to that elusive championship and end a drought that dates to 1908.
Barring an epic turnaround, he can forget about that.
General manager Jim Hendry will get another shot, though.
New owner Tom Ricketts made that clear Tuesday, saying there won't be a change at the top after Piniella announced he's retiring at the end of the season and ending a long, colorful career.
``Jim is our general manager, full stock,'' Ricketts said. ``He will be leading the effort to find our new manager for next year and will be our general manager going into next year.''
Hendry, the GM since 2002, has come under scrutiny amid mounting losses the past two seasons. Big contracts to players such as Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Zambrano - not to mention signing Milton Bradley, who got banished late last season and ultimately traded to Seattle - have only added to the criticism.
Even so, Ricketts is counting on Hendry to lead the team out of the wilderness.
``I said at our opening press conference that Day 1 was Square 1 for everyone in the organization,'' Ricketts said. ``I think from that day going forward, we had a very good offseason. I think Jim delivered on bringing in some players who contributed a lot this season. And we had a good offseason, no question.
``I think the second thing that I've seen the last eight months that gives me 100 percent confidence in Jim is that we have a good organization,'' he continued. ``The way that you win consistently in baseball is to draft well, to develop players well and to bring those players up to the major leagues to give you flexibility in your payroll and trades. I think we have the organization in place. I have the highest confidence in everyone in our organization, and I think that speaks well of Jim.''
Piniella sees hope for an organization that's gone more than a century without winning it all.
``Sooner or later, they'll break that barn door down and win a world championship,'' he said.
That was the plan when Chicago hired Piniella after the 2006 season. The Cubs won the NL Central in 2007 and 2008 before things fell apart, but without a title, Ricketts said no era could be viewed as a success.
``Our goal is to win a World Series,'' he said. ``Our goal is to put a team on the field that can win the World Series every year. I can't envision an era without that and still calling it a success.''
Now, they're trying to pick themselves up while Piniella plans to move on after 18 years in the majors as a player and another 22 as a manager.
Yankees manager Joe Girardi, the man Piniella beat for this job, has an expiring contract. So does the Los Angeles Dodgers' Joe Torre.
Bob Brenly, who managed Arizona to a championship in 2001 and interviewed with the Cubs four years ago, is in the team's broadcast booth.
Bench coach Alan Trammell and pitching coach Larry Rothschild have both managed in the majors.
There's a popular choice at Triple-A Iowa, where Cubs Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg is managing, and Hendry said the former MVP is in the running.
``He's done a very good job in the system the last four years,'' Hendry said. ``I have a lot of respect for the way he's handled himself. A Hall of Fame player working in the minor leagues, he deserves to be a candidate.''
Sandberg is interested.
``I need to focus on what I'm doing here in Des Moines with these players and what my job is right now,'' he said. ``If the time came, if I was considered for that job in Chicago, I think that'd be a terrific thing just to be considered. The whole goal of any minor leaguer is to get to the major leagues, and I think that includes coaches and managers like myself.''
The 66-year-old Piniella, who made five trips to the World Series in his career and has three championship rings, is 1,827-1,691 overall and 308-271 with the Cubs after Tuesday's 14-7 win over Houston. He trailed only Tony La Russa, Bobby Cox and Torre in victories among active managers.
``Lou is an emotional guy and I know he's been frustrated because they reached the postseason and it looked like they were going to do it on a regular basis,'' Torre said.
Known for his dirt-kicking tirades, Piniella had mellowed with Chicago. He made it clear Tuesday he was tired of the daily grind but didn't rule out consulting for the Cubs or another team.
Piniella began managing in 1986 with the Yankees and lasted three years, including a stint as general manager. He managed the Reds from 1990-92, leading them to a World Series championship in his first season. He also got national attention during his time there for a clubhouse wrestling match with reliever Rob Dibble, who downplayed the incident and said ``we've been family ever since.''
After Cincinnati, Piniella had a long run in Seattle, where his teams won at least 90 games four times and 116 in 2001.
Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez, who played for Piniella with the Mariners, called him ``a Hall of Fame manager and a great player.''
Woody Woodward, who hired Piniella when he was Seattle's GM, said, ``He came out here and made believers out of the Northwest.''
Now, after three tough years in Tampa Bay and two in Chicago after a good start, Piniella's career will likely end on a disappointing note.
``Everybody knows he's not going to let up,'' All-Star outfielder Marlon Byrd said. ``It's Lou Piniella. Have you seen one year where he's let up in his playing career or his managing career?''
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AP Sports Writers Luke Meredith in Des Moines, Iowa, Howie Rumberg in New York, Beth Harris in Los Angeles, Gregg Bell in Seattle and Joe Kay in Cincinnati contributed to this report.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
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MySportsbook.com favors Bears, Bengals, Chargers and Colts to remain perfect
LAS VEGAS , Sept. 28 - Two big match-ups of undefeated teams have fans salivating at the Week Four schedule in the NFL. The Chicago Bears stifling defense looks to provide a less than hospitable welcome to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night in a battle of two 3-0 teams in the NFC conference. In the AFC, the San Diego Chargers (2-0) head to Maryland to face the surprising Baltimore Ravens (3-0) as both try to keep pace atop the conference standings. Betting Lines makers at MySportsbook.com, online sportsbook and casino, have set the Bears as 3.5 point favorites while the Chargers are a 2.5 point bet.
Of the three remaining undefeated teams, only one, New Orleans, enters this week's game as an underdog. Despite an emotional and resounding win over Atlanta on Monday night, the Saints are a 7.5 point underdog against the struggling Carolina Panthers. Indianapolis looks to stay perfect when they face the New York Jets as a 9 point road favorite while the Cincinnati Bengals are a 6 point favorite at home to the New England Patriots.
Six teams enter the week still looking for their first win, with a seventh, Tampa Bay, on a bye week. The prospect of dropping another game would not bode well for a potential playoff run. Since 1990, just three teams -- the 1992 Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions and 1998 Buffalo Bills -- have overcome losing their first three games of the season to earn a postseason berth. And only the Chargers managed to accomplish the feat after starting 0-4.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
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