Sad News from NY

Obviously, the top news in baseball yesterday was the death of Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. Lidle was in a private plane that crashed into a high rise condo building on New York's upper east side. Initial reports indicated that Lidle was piloting the airplane, but it was later learned that a flight instructor was also in the aircraft with him, so it is not known who was actually flying the plane. Lidle was 34 years old and leaves behind his with and young son.

In other news, Peter Gammons reported that Cubs GM Jim Hendry's top manager candidate is Bruce Bochy. I would just write this off if it wasn't coming from the Dali Lama himself. In the end though, it doesn't matter because the Padres have denied Hendry's request to interview Bochy.

I'm not sure what Hendry's infatuation is with Bochy. He of the big head has been the manager of the Padres for 12 years and I can't think of anything remarkable that has happened during that time for San Diego. They did make it in to the post-season each of the past two years, but were eliminated both years in the first round. Bochy has a losing record as a manager (951-975), which after 12 years managing in the NL West would make me suspect.

Lou Pinella spoke briefly to reports about the Cubs managerial opening. He indicated that he thought it would be a terrific opportunity for anyone and that he was interested in the job. Pinella has been compared on other blogs to Dusty Baker, but I would have to disagree. Pinella is much more fiery (so is a canned ham) and is an "in-your-face" type of manager. He brings passion and energy to the ball park, something that has been sorely lacking in recent years. Pinella has spoken well of Dusty during MLB broadcasts this year, but I think that has more to do with respect for Dusty personally than it does for Pinella's admiration for Dusty's managing ability.

Even so, I still think that Joe Girardi is the best fit for the Cubs opening. He is a good manager of people, seems to have a good feel for both veterans and younger players, and his management style is still adaptable. I'm not opposed to hiring Pinella, especially if it would increase the Cubs chances of trading for ARod. But I do think that Girardi is the best fit for the Cubs.