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Lou Piniella Suspended Four GamesChicago Cubs Manager Kicked Out for Kicking Dirt on UmpThe Commissioner suspended Cubs' skipper for his outburst during a June 2nd game. The punishment may have been enhanced because this wasn't Sweet Lou's first tirade.
Major League Baseball suspended Lou Piniella for four games because of his actions during a June 2, 2007 game against the Atlanta Braves. Those actions included screaming into the face of several umpires, kicking dirt on the men in blue, making obscene hand gestures and uttering a few choice four- letter words during a ten minute tirade he launched when a call didn't go his team's way. Piniella's outburst was both entertaining and embarrassing, and it surely was deserving of a four game punishment. Here are some of Lou Piniella's best tirades. The Rob Dibble FightOn September 18, 1992, Piniella had his most famous blow-up. While managing the Cincinnati Reds, whom he led to a World Series title just two years earlier, Piniella became angry with the performance of his ace reliever, Rob Dibble. Piniella pulled Dibble, who showed his displeasure with his manager in the dugout. The argument spilled over into the Reds' post-game clubhouse when Piniella and the six-foot five-inch Dibble came to blows. The fight -- more of a wrestling match really -- lasted about a minute and was caught on camera. Upset teammates broke up the brawl, and Piniella screamed at Dibble, "I'd treat you like a man, but you don't wanna be treated like a man." The ugly scene ultimately led to Piniella being fired a month later by Reds' owner Marge Schott. The Base Throwing EpisodeBaseball managers have been arguing with umpires for as long as baseball has been played. Since the first fight, however, there have been few innovations in clashing with the men in blue. The major advancements in umpire fighting have been: (1) Earl Weaver turning his cap round so he could get closer to the ump's face when fighting; (2) Billy Martin kicking dirt on an umpire's feet; and (3) this. On August 11, 1988, Piniella went completely ballistic after what he perceived was a bad call by the first base umpire. After arguing for a good ten minutes with the ump, Piniella bent over, tore the First Base bag right out of the ground and hurled hit about thirty feet. The bag landed just a few feet from the stands, narrowly averting disaster. A Career of Ejections and SuspensionsAll in all, Piniella has been ejected from games 68 times in his career, and has been suspended by Major League baseball six times for on the field (and in the clubhouse) altercations. With the Cubs playing like the Bad News Bears this year, fans probably have plenty more explosions to look forward to.
The copyright of the article Lou Piniella Suspended Four Games in Baseball is owned by James Lincoln Ray. Permission to republish Lou Piniella Suspended Four Games in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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