Reds’ Piniella Likes Being His Own Boss

The other day Lou Piniella was talking about adjusting to life as a National League manager after being associated with American League teams from the day in 1962 he was signed by the Cleveland Indians to the day last November he signed a three-year contract to manage the Cincinnati Reds.

“The biggest thing is getting to know the personnel, not only on our ballclub but around the league,” he said, autopilot kicking in for his 167th response to that question this spring. Just then, longtime Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman wandered in.

“And, of course,” Piniella continued casually, “you have to stay away from being second-guessed by the radio guy up there -- you know, Brennaman. That’s tough to do. I heard him during a rain delay, and he was managing up there.”

Thank goodness for small things.

With the Reds, Piniella has to listen to mezzanine managing only during rain delays. When he was signing lineup cards for the New York Yankees, he had to listen to it whenever owner George Steinbrenner picked up the phone.

“It doesn’t seem like every day is life or death,” Piniella said while relaxing in the visiting manager’s office at the Mets’ Shea Stadium.

And was it that way while managing the Yankees?

“It was death after a loss,” he said.

Turning philosophical, he added: “You play baseball. Naturally, you want to win every day, but you know that’s not possible. As long as you’re getting the effort from the players and the team is playing to the best of their ability, what the hell. I mean, what else can you do?”

It’s that attitude that has helped the Reds pile up an 18-5 record and a 5 1/2-game lead in the NL West. They began the season 9-0, the best start in franchise history, and have stayed in relatively good shape considering center fielder Eric Davis is on the 15-day disabled list until at least Thursday because of a sprained knee.

“All you’re trying to do, especially early in the year,” Piniella said, “is go out and play good baseball every day. Don’t beat yourself. We’ve been able to do that. So far, we really haven’t given any games away.”

They swung into this week leading the league not only in batting, slugging, on-base percentage and runs per game but also in fielding. They have 42 stolen bases (second in the league) and have been caught just nine times. Their pitching staff is second in the league in earned run average, 2.91.

This is a team that has been viewed as a group of chronic underachievers. It finished second in the NL West in each of Pete Rose’s four full seasons as manager. Even with Rose awash in gambling allegations last season, they were 35-24 and in first place June 10.

Of course, last year became a fifth-place disaster as Rose’s situation worsened and injuries sidelined Davis, shortstop Barry Larkin, third baseman Chris Sabo, outfielder Paul O’Neill and pitchers Danny Jackson, Jose Rijo and Ron Robinson for significant periods of time. The end result gave the organization only more justification for replacing general manager Murray Cook with Bob Quinn and interim manager Tommy Helms with Piniella, who then retained only one coach -- Tony Perez.

“Without getting rid of all the players,” first baseman Todd Benzinger said, “the best thing the Reds could have done since last year was to make as many personnel changes as they could -- hopefully getting the right people, but more importantly just getting different people. ... It made you feel even further removed from 1989.”

And maybe from 1985, ‘86, ’87 and ’88 as well.

But it was the Reds’ performances during the last five seasons that helped prompt Piniella to leave his jobs as special adviser to Steinbrenner and Yankees broadcaster to come to Cincinnati.

“It was a good situation in that the ballclub had talent and had a chance to play well this year,” said Piniella, who was prevented from becoming the Toronto Blue Jays’ manager last season by Steinbrenner and turned down opportunities to head the Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros.

“I played with the Yankees all those years,” he said, “and I always felt we had a chance to win there. That’s really all you can ask for, as opposed to managing a ballclub where all you’re doing is trying to improve it.”

Piniella still feels a certain allegiance to the New York team for which he played 11 seasons and managed a little more than 2 1/2. A Yankees garment bag hung in his locker at Shea, and he said: “I follow their team. I’d like to see them do well.

“But,” he added, “the Yankees are in my past.”

In Cincinnati, Piniella runs the show.

“The one major difference,” he told Newsday, “is over here I make the decisions and they stand. ... There hasn’t been any interference.”

Said Perez: “He showed the players what he likes and what he doesn’t like. He’s always watching everything the players do and he doesn’t let the players get away with anything. And I think the players appreciate that, because as manager, you’re the captain and the players like to be commanded.”

Rose, the players say, was a laissez-faire manager and not a particularly good or patient teacher. Piniella is the opposite. And, although the early winning probably has a lot to do with it, the players seem to like Piniella’s style better.

Reliever Rob Dibble: “He told me what my role was before the season started. He told me he wasn’t going to blow my arm out and he was just going to use me as a right-handed closer or in situations where I was going to get one or two guys out. It made me happy to know that I wasn’t going to be another side of beef for the next year or two years.”

Larkin: “When guys are struggling, he’ll get in there and help them. Every day he’s trying to tell me something to help myself.”

Asked to describe Piniella’s approach to the game, Benzinger replied: “Real simple, real simple. You hustle at all times. You do all the little things it takes to win and be mentally smart. That’s it.

“When you have a team with good talent and they’re mentally on top of things every game and they hustle every game, you’re going to have a good record. Lou’s told us that.”