Father gave Piniella passion for the game
Family and friends fondly recall the fiery spirit of Louis Sr., who died Sunday in Tampa.

By MARC TOPKIN, Times Staff Writer
Published February 28, 2005

Lou Piniella was first exposed to baseball by his father, learning what to do and how passionately to do it watching Louis Piniella Sr. on the fields of Cuscaden Park in Ybor City and MacFarland Park in West Tampa.

"No question, Lou took his lead from his father when it came to baseball," said New York Daily News writer Bill Madden, a longtime Piniella friend.

Early Sunday morning, Piniella's father died at a Tampa hospital. He was 86.

In his early years, he was every bit as fiery as his son. Piniella wrote in his 1986 autobiography, Sweet Lou , about his father getting into arguments with umpires, sparring with teammates and even jawing with his wife, Margaret, when they were on the same softball team.

"People watch me play and think I get excited," Piniella wrote. "They should have seen my family play."

Tampa's Joe Benito played with the senior Piniella in the Intersocial League in the 1940s and remembered him for the way he pitched - and the way he pitched fits.

"If I made an error at shortstop, he would stare at me and boy, he would let me know about it," Benito said. "He was fiery, just like his son."

Andrew Espolita, a 98-year-old Tampa man who played with and coached the elder Piniella, described his ballplaying years this way: "He looked like he was mad all the time."

Dave Magadan, a former big-leaguer who is Piniella's cousin, said he used to look forward to visiting with his uncle just for the entertainment value.

"He was a very passionate guy and very opinionated," Magadan said. "Whenever we'd go over to the house it was always fun to hear the spirited discussions. They could be about anything - baseball, politics, whatever. And sometimes they were more than spirited."

But in his later years, the senior Piniella mellowed considerably. His trips to the ballparks became rare, and when he did show up he was quiet and reserved.

"He was a very distinguished, quiet, proud guy," Madden said. "I remember seeing him sitting quietly in the clubhouse, taking it all in. If you didn't know who he was you would have never guessed he was Lou's dad. I guess maybe as he got older he mellowed, because I had heard some stories that he was, I guess the right word is as "passionate' as Lou."

Rays hitting coach Lee Elia, a longtime Piniella associate, described the senior Piniella as one of those "grand gentlemen." Bench coach John McLaren said he was quiet and proud. "Lou talked warmly of his dad," McLaren said.

The elder Piniella lived in West Tampa and was in private business, first selling cigars, cigarettes and drugstore items to stores then buying his own distributorship. The Tampa native worked long hours, but spent weekends at the baseball field, with his son as the bat boy.

"Lou Sr. spearheaded Lou's desire to play baseball," said Magadan, the Padres' hitting coach. "And it became a family thing."

While the senior Piniella didn't brag much publicly, those who knew him say it was obvious how much he thought of his son and his accomplishments. "You could see he was really proud of Lou," Madden said.

The senior Piniella, whose health has been in decline for years, was admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital on Feb.10 with heart problems and had been in the critical care unit. While Piniella spent much of the past two weeks attending to him and to his mother, he also was keeping tabs on the Rays.

When he called general manager Chuck LaMar at 7 a.m. Sunday to tell him of his father's death, he wanted to make sure everything was okay with the team.

"Despite having gone through a very tough couple weeks, Lou was as concerned about us, and that's just the way he is," LaMar said. "He cares deeply about his staff and his players and wanted to know how we're doing and how we're holding up. That shows you what kind of guy that he is. ... The organization's thoughts and prayers are with he and his family."

Managing general partner Vince Naimoli said he met Piniella's father once and was struck by his resemblance to his son. "I'm deeply saddened by his passing," Naimoli said.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, a longtime Piniella friend, also expressed his sympathy. "My heart goes out to Lou and his family," Steinbrenner said through a spokesman. "It's been a tough deal for the family. I've been very close to them for many years and I'm deeply saddened."

Magadan said Piniella and his brother Joe are dealing with the loss well.

"I called over there and I heard him in the background and he's doing okay," Magadan said from Arizona. "He's upset, of course, but he's handling it well."

Funeral arrangements were not complete Sunday night.