Lou Piniella played five years with the Kansas City Royals, winning Rookie Of The Year in 1969, before being traded to the New York Yankees. After his playing days, he led the Cincinnati Reds to a World Series title in 1990 as a manager. Many know Piniella for his antics such as kicking hats, throwing bases, and fighting with his players in the locker room. You may not know that he was childhood friends with Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa.
It’s really a small world, when you think about two successful managers, both World Series Champions coming from Tampa, FL? Now they face off against each other this week in St. Louis as the Cardinals hope to make up some ground on the 2nd place Cubs.
I had an opportunity to talk with Lou about managing against Tony, and about his days with the Royals.