Many know Lou Piniella as a prominent former New York Yankee with three World Series rings and a wildly successful manager of the Mariners and the Tampa Bay Rays. But before he was any of those things, Piniella was just a kid from Tampa playing ball with his friends.
“I grew up in West Tampa–everybody played baseball. Living here in Florida you play baseball year round. We played at Macfarlane Park, West Tampa Heights, we would even play at the Boys and Girls Club,” Piniella said. “Baseball was played by everybody in the ‘50s here in Tampa. It helped that Al Lopez really got the ball rolling as far as major leaguers coming out of this area.”
After immersing himself in America’s pastime throughout his childhood, Piniella was hungry for the next level. Instead of jumping straight from high school to the professional level like several of his contemporaries, Piniella opted to attend the University of Tampa to further his training. However, there were no high rise Vaughn Centers or on-campus Dairy Queens.
In Piniella’s day, UT was a relatively small university and was surprisingly dominant in one sport that no longer exists here: football. There was no refurbished Bob Martinez Athletic Center to train in and the baseball team had no field to use.
“We had a good team my freshman year but it was hard because we had to train at Macfarlane Park. We had no facilities whatsoever. We played all our home games off-campus as well,” said Piniella.
Piniella still managed to carve out an impressive season as a Spartan, earning a spot as an All-American and finishing the season primed to head to the big leagues.
Sitting down with the baseball legend, was an opportunity The Minaret could not pass up. The security guards at the gate had to call to confirm that three nervous college guys in ties could be admitted into Lou’s house. We then simultaneously dropped our jaws upon our arrival at the house appropriately built for a legend. Lion statues gilded in gold, a carport full of luxurious cars and two dog fluffs named Sushi and Patches greeted us as we pulled up.
Though his house was extravagant and lavish, the man who greeted us in a faded blue Tommy Bahama Tshirt and grey shorts was anything but pretentious. He had an affable demeanor and treated us like we were his former players stopping in for a visit. On the field, you’ll probably recall him clashing with umpires and hurling bases, but off the field he operates with a spirit of humility and friendliness. Players throughout the years, including former Tampa Bay Ray Carl Crawford have raved about the wisdom and values of hard work that Piniella instilled in them.
“He just put that in me, that go-play-hard stuff all the time. Every play, go all out. Don’t take no time off,” Crawford told the Tampa Bay Times in 2010. “And at the end of the year, you’re tired as hell but you look back and you’re like, ‘I’m glad I played for Lou because he gets everything out of you.’”
After his first season at UT, Piniella decided to sign a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians at the age of 18 for $25,000. Since UT did not have baseball scholarships during Piniella’s playing days at the university, he had to rely on his contract with the Indians to pay for his education. Regardless, Piniella’s deal with the Tribe ended his tenure at UT after one season.
This choice made by Piniella began his 48-year career in baseball. Over that span, Pinella won Rookie of the Year at age 25, an All-Star Game appearance, Manager of the Year, and three World Series titles during his playing and managerial career.
Piniella’s playing and managerial careers were full of people he admired and feared, as well as moments of triumph and tough times.
“I liked a lot more players than I disliked,” said Piniella. “I enjoyed playing with a lot of personalities. [When I was with the Yankees] I liked playing with Mickey Rivers because he was a funny guy who could get stuff done on the field. ‘Catfish’ Hunter was very professional, and Thurman Munson was tough as nails. When I managed, I enjoyed working with Eric Davis and Barry Larkin in Cincinnati, Alex Rodriguez and Ken Griffey Jr. in Seattle, and Derrek Lee when I was with the Cubs.”
Even though he won three World Series titles during his career, he says his second one with the Yankees was the sweetest.
“That second ring was the most rewarding because we were 14.5 games back at one point,” said Piniella.
That second ring came in 1978, when the Yankees beat the Red Sox in a playoff game at Fenway that clinched a playoff berth for the Bombers. Boston was his favorite team to beat as a player, but the team he always looked forward to beating while managing was the team from the Bronx.
“I always put my best effort in whenever my teams faced the Yankees because Mr. Steinbrenner was the only man who ever fired me,” he said with a chuckle.
After reminiscing about his playing and managerial days, Piniella gave some words of advice to UT ballplayers who are pursuing a Major League career: “Get your college education first; you can always fall back on it. The odds are stacked against you.”
Baseball is a game that has become globalized in the 21st century, which lowers the probability of making it to the leagues, Piniella said.
He added some more on-the-field advice to ballplayers: “Pay attention to your coaches; you learn from your coaches. Practice like the way you play. Get something out of those practices.”
After a career that almost spanned half a century, Piniella still had plenty to teach and share. It seemed fitting that one of the greatest molders of baseball talent in the history of the game still had a few lessons up his sleeve. Even though he has left behind the game he loves, the game hasn’t left Sweet Lou.
Phil Novotny can be reached at philip.novotny@theminaretonline.com
Jordan Llanes can be reached at jordan.llanes@theminaretonline.com