In a move which will almost certainly pave the way for the Ryne Sandberg Era, Lou Piniella announced today that he will retire after this season. Selfishly, I am less devastated about losing one of the most-successful managers in Cub history than I am about the death of Sweet Uncle Lou’s Friday Roundup.

DAMN YOU, PINIELLA!!!

Anyhow, Lou’s current .531 winning percentage with the Cubs is 11th all-time among Cub managers, and is the highest since Gabby Hartnett’s .536 WP from 1938 to 1940. Lou currently has the 9th-most wins of all Cub managers at 307. Assuming the Cubs continue blowing at approximately the same rate, he’ll pass Fred Mitchell (308) and Dusty Baker (322) before the end of this season to put him just behind…uh…Jim Riggleman at 7th on the list. Four of the top six managers ahead of him are Hall of Famers, and one other is Charlie Grimm. Lou’s Cub teams have averaged a 1.8 finish in the division, second only to Frank Chance’s 1.7.

Say what you will about whether or not Piniella had the energy to manage the team this year, but he is certainly a brilliant baseball mind who will be missed. Especially when Ryne Sandberg hires Mark Grace as his bench coach, and Grace nails your mom.