http://mlb.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20100720&content_id=12429328&vkey=pr_chc&fext=.jsp&c_id=chc

Not suprised.

No surpise here either. If he had not announced this I am sure the Cubs would be have been forced to fire him at the end of this season. My guess is that Lou will be on ESPN next baseball season.

I've already seen Torre's name thrown into the mix, since him and LA will part ways this fall.

I have trouble seeing that one myself... Torre is older than Piniella, and he seems like he just wants to retire and live it up out there. I don't know if I buy Torre "wanting the challenge of the Cubs" at age 70.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2010/07/ryne-sandberg-joe-torre-tony-la-russa-projecting-lou-piniellas-successor-/1

I don't see Joe Torre taking over the Cubs when Lou steps down.

This hasn't been any easy job on Lou. IMO he's been a pretty good manager throughout his career and has had VERY talented teams in Chicago that have underperformed when it matters. I guess to a point some of that falls on the manager, but not all of it; Lou can't play the game for them.

No surprise. This year, in particular, with Z being more insane than usual and a lot of big names (Lee, Ramirez) sucking compared to their normal performance, he's seemed to have lost a lot of enthusiasm and just wants to get the season over with. With the Central being as weak as it is, if certain people played up to their ability, they'd be right with the Cards and Reds...but they've underachieved their way out of things. Hopefully, he at least acknowledges the fans before the season ends and throws a Pinella-classic tantrum at some point.

Torre is going to retire as a Dodger skipper. I would expect the Cubs to go in a different direction other than an old war horse like they did with Sweet Lou. I think a possible replacement is Ryne Sandburg. The former Cubs second baseman is a beloved figure in Chicago and is well respected by the organization. He is currently coaching in the minor leagues in Iowa and is an up and coming big league manager.

I think its likely that if Iowa wins the PCL or at least goes pretty far in the playoffs, Sandberg could be next in line. Its kind of a win-win from a publicity standpoint for the Cubs, and he's proved he knows how to win games in the minors(yes I know, doesn't necessarily translate to MLB success)

Fredi Gonzalez the recently fired Marlins manager will also be interviewing for the job according to ESPN.

That's kind of surprising about Fredi. He is at the top of the Braves list to replace Bobby Cox. Either way good to see he is still getting some interest after his firing unlike Ned Yost.

Yost got the shaft. At least he's gotten to be the interim guy in Kansas City. Trey Hillman was a pretty decent manager in Japan and in the minors, but Kansas City seems like a totally no-win situation.

I think Gonzalez will end up back within the Braves system