Lou Piniella abruptly announced that Chicago's series finale versus the Braves Sunday will be his last game as Cubs manager. It was not a successful farewell, as Atlanta hung a 16-5 blowout loss on Chicago and its departing bench boss. Piniella had decided late last month that he would retire following the 2010 season, his fourth with the club. It's unclear exactly what prompted the advancement of his timetable for retirement, as the veteran skipper cited only family reasons. The team quickly moved to name Mike Quade manager for the rest of the season. The 53-year-old Quade is in his eighth season with the Cubs and served as both third base and outfield coach prior to Sunday's announcement. He becomes the 51st manager in franchise history. Piniella led the Cubs to NL Central titles in 2007 and 2008, but the team was swept in the Division Series both years. Chicago fell to 51-74 in 2010 after the rout. Before the Cubs, Piniella also managed the New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay. He earned AL Manager of the Year honors with Seattle in 1995 and 2001, and won a World Series title with the Reds in 1990. Piniella is one of only five managers to win at least three Manager of the Year awards, including 2008 with the Cubs. He completed his career with 1,835 wins as a skipper.
