Lou Pinella Says Goodbye, But Who's Up Next?

Although his time with the Chicago Cubs was not long, Lou Pinella was a MLB Manager for 23 seasons, winning one World Series, and 3 Manager Of The Year Awards, but he's now saying farewell to the game. Yes, Lou is one of the better managers in the majors, it's now time to move on to the next one. So who is it would you look at if you were Jim Hendry? The choice I'm sure most of the fans would make is Ryne Sandberg. For 15 years he was a Chicago Cub, and for the last 4 years, Sandberg has managed for the Triple-A Iowa team under the Cubs, and he now feels as if he's ready. I like Sandberg, but I can't say if he's ready to "win ball games at the Major League level" as he put it. Then you have Alan Trammel, which would make some since seeing as how Trammel is the bench coach for the Cubbies. Trammel did have an opportunity to coach in the MLB from 2003-05 with the Detroit Tigers. It might have given him the experience in the league, but it was more like an experiment that went bad with a record of 186-300, so maybe the choice needs to go a little deeper. What about Bob Brenley, nah, keep him in the booth. So let's get down to the real candidates in Joe Torre, and Joe Girardi. We know what they have done with the Yankees, so who's to say, they can't do the same with the Cubs. New owners, equals a new way of thinking, and playing the game. Torre is close to the same age as Pinella, so he may be soon thinking retirement as well. With the problems Chicago is having with their lineup now, it's going to take some time to dig out of this cluster. So that leaves Girardi, it would be nice to get a Manager here that has the experience that he has, and his youth. Coming off a World Series win in 2009, he's probably near the peak in his career. With Hendry still in the role to take command of this operation, will he be able to make up for some of the bad Lebronesque decisions he's made in the past.

Mayweather VS Pacquiao

So there was supposed talks for a fight to take place on November 13th, between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Or at least it was said there were talks between the camps. A deadline was set for Saturday, July 17 and 3am for a decision to be made on behalf of the Mayweather camp. It was not me, but then one of Floyd's top and closest advisers, Leonard Ellerbe, is denying any talks about a deal being struck for a fight. This is turning out to be a huge disappointment for boxing, the sport is already suffering. This could be the main event that brings boxing back to where it once was. The two fighters are on top of their weight class, and they need to fight the best of the best to take ownership of the best in the sport. What's the hold up? First it was Pacquiao who didn't want to take the Olympic style drug testing, and now it's Mayweather and his camp saying they haven't had these alleged talks. Sounds like neither one, wants to lose what they worked so hard to get, but that is pointless in this sport. How long do the people have to wait for the bout? I'll put my money on Pacquiao!

MJ To LBJ..."I Was Trying To Beat Those Guys"

So what is the easiest way to tell Lebron James that he will never be in the same conversation as Michael Jordan? I know, let Mike say it himself in an interview, I think he'll get the picture that way. In a recent interview at a celebrity golf outing in Nevada, MJ was asked about the decision and he said "There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic, and said, Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team, but that's...things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys." That there shows you the difference between the two, the competitive spirit. Mike wanted to beat the guys that held the keys to the rings, not play alongside them. But, he didn't say that it was a bad choice for Lebron, maybe us as fans have held him to a higher standard then where we should have had him. Despite his athletic ability, and his hunger to win, I just don't think he is as competitive as MJ, or even Kobe. Is this the real reason LBJ changed his number to "6", because he didn't want to disrespect His Airness. Yes all the greats had others to help them to win championships, nobody did by themselves. The difference is the caliber of these guys on one team makes a huge difference. So the next closest thing to MJ would have to be KB, oh yeah, he did just win ring number 5.