One of A Kind: Lou Pinella

Learn about the Legendary Lou Pinella.

All may give some, but some may give all. This is a common expression that rings true in most aspects of life. It’s used to describe those people who show strength through character, and work tirelessly to get the job done. Add the ingredients of toughness, leadership, and oh yes…. passion and you wind up with the ingredients to make Lou Pinella. Lou Pinella was a Major League Baseball manager that defined passion. Other than his win total, legendary status, or aggressive style of managing, Lou Pinella is most known for his passion and fire he showed on the field.

Lou Pinella was born and raised in Tampa, Florida on Augus 28,1943. He grew up playing the game at various levels as a kid, and he even played alongside the just as legendary coach Tony LaRussa (You might see Tony LaRussa in another article... Hint Hint).

Believe it or not, Lou Panella was NOT an All-American baseball player at Jesuit High School, instead he was an All-American basketball player. Now tell me something, who would have ever guessed that? When he graduated in 1961, the University of Tampa where he then became an NCAA II All-American. How’s that for a twist?

Although Lou Pinella’s Major League Baseball playing days are overshadowed by his managerial days, it’s noteworthy. He had stints with the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians (Formerly known as the Cleveland Indians), Kansas City Royals, and the New York Yankees in a span of 20 years. Thing is though, He only played one season in Baltimore in 1964 and one season in Cleveland in 1968.

While he was still in his playing days, he served as the hitting coach for the Yankees. On October 28,1985, He became the Yankees manager and subsequently became the Yankees general manager to start the 1988 season. On June 23, Billy Martin was fired and Lou Pinella had to resume his managerial role. One might say that maybe he was destined to be a manager in the big leagues.

On November 3,1989, Lou Pinella signed with the Cincinnati Reds in which looked to be a wonderful ride for the Reds organization. In his first season with the Reds in 1990, Cincinnati won a World Series beating the Oakland Athletics in what was a four-game sweep. Unfortunately, the next season the Reds were riddled with injuries and finished with the worst record by a team that won the World Series the year before. One notable even was when Lou Pinella accused Umpire Gary Darling of being biased against the Reds after Darling took away a home run that cost the Reds the game. Later, Darling and the Major League Umpires Association sued Lou Pinella for defamation and 5 million dollars. To the sports community’s surprise, Reds owner at the time Marge Schott not only hired Pinella an attorney, but she also paid the 5-million-dollar lawsuit against Lou Pinella also. Marge Schott was somewhat of a controversial figure herself, but that’s also for another article.

In the 1992 season, Lou Pinella turned down a contract extension to remain with the Reds beyond the season. On a side note, the Reds have only one postseason series since Lou’s departure.

In November of 1992, Pinella was hired as a manager of the Seattle Mariners where he had success in the 10 seasons he was with the Mariners and from there went on to manage the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Chicago Cubs, and the San Fransico Giants before things came back full circle to the Cincinnati Reds in 2016.

Lou Pinella was the personification of success and the way he went about his business was unmatched by virtually no one. He often told his players to give it their all, and he often defended his players when he felt it necessary. In the words of my late father, “They don’t make em like that anymore.”

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