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Cubs’ Lou Piniella will retire at end of season

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Chicago Cubs Manager Lou Piniella has decided to retire when the season ends.

Piniella, who turns 67 next month, has managed for 23 seasons and has won one World Series -- in 1990, when he managed the Cincinnati Reds.

The man who was known for arguing with umpires was ejected 60 times as a manager. He led the Yankees, Reds and Tampa Bay Rays for three seasons each and the Seattle Mariners for 10 seasons. This is his fourth season at the helm of the Cubs.

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‘I couldn’t be more appreciative of the Cubs organization for providing me the opportunity to manage this ball club,’ he said in a statement Tuesday. ‘I’ve had four wonderful years here that I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.

‘I’ve grown to love the city and the fans, but at my age, it will be time to enter a new phase in my life,’ he said. ‘It will enable me to spend more valuable time with my family -- my wife, my kids and my grandchildren. God has blessed me to have been able to work this many years in the game that I love.’

When the Cubs were in L.A. before the All-Star game, Piniella said he would not manage another team but had not ruled out the possibility of extending his contract with the Cubs.

‘Why make this announcement now?’ Piniella asked. Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry ‘asked me in recent weeks regarding my future with the team and I told him I had made the decision to retire at the end of the season. Since my decision has now been made, I don’t want to mislead anyone about my intentions when asked in the future.

‘But more importantly, announcing my decision now is what’s best for this organization in the long run. It gives Jim Hendry ample time to find the next manager, and he doesn’t need to do so in secrecy.’

-- Debbie Goffa

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