More from the Chicago Tribulation

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/cs-070602cusbgamer,1,5681208.story?coll=chi-sportstop-hed

Maybe Lou Piniella has finally figured out the best way to avoid watching his baseball team—have the umpires throw him out of the game.

Or maybe his baseball team just finally drove him past his melting point.

Either way, Piniella was ejected for the first time as Cubs manager in Saturday's 5-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, setting off the Wrigley Field fans, who littered the field with debris.

Just one day after refereeing a fight between his players, Piniella waded into a fray of his own with third-base umpire Mark Wegner in the eighth inning. And he got his money's worth, kicking his cap several times, covering Wegner's shoes with dirt and finally being restrained by crew chief Bruce Froemming.

The verdict?

"The umpire was correct; the guy was out," Piniella said afterward. "I was going to argue whether he was out, safe or whatever. It didn't make a damn bit of difference."

snip

"I don't know," he said. "How do you explain it? I wish I had an explanation, I really do."

I know this," he added with a chuckle. "I've gotten to know the players a lot better, and they've gotten to know me better.

"So is he fed up? And does he want immediate changes that perhaps GM Jim Hendry doesn't want or can't make?

"I'm not fed up," he said. "It's part of my job. Believe me, these managing jobs aren't very easy. I am fed up, though, with some of the play that we've had on the field."Everybody in this organization basically is on the same page. … Some of the things that I've seen here I haven't seen anywhere else that I've managed. It's got to stop, or obviously we've got to make some changes."

snip

Hmmm. Har har, my comments. Are the guys watching too much Oprah and not getting in enough practice?

And have you considered St. Jude? He works wonders!!