Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 19, 1990 TAG: 9007190611
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE:
DATELINE: CINCINNATI LENGTH: Medium
"We don't deserve it," owner Marge Schott said Wednesday.
But unlike the Pete Rose gambling questions, which consumed an entire summer, the questions about Lou Piniella have been put to rest quickly.
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner linked Piniella to gambling during a hearing this month with baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent, according to a transcript of the hearing.
Vincent moved quickly to clear Piniella's name, issuing a statement Wednesday that said the manager is "in good standing with me and my office."
That was enough for Reds management, which figured this would blow over quickly.
"This isn't going to linger," General Manager Bob Quinn said. "Fay's statement speaks for itself."
Piniella said he would not have left the Yankees to take the Reds' job if he had anything to hide.
"If I had any skeletons in my closet, I wouldn't have come to Cincinnati to manage," he said. "I could have stayed in that [Yankees] organization for the rest of my life, if I'd wanted to, in one capacity or another."
Piniella was upset that Steinbrenner passed an allegation along to the commissioner without checking it out with him.
"I'm not happy," Piniella said. "There's no foundation of truth to it. I'm just disappointed it happened."
Steinbrenner told Vincent that he paid former gambler Howard Spira $40,000 in part because he feared Spira would reveal information about Piniella's gambling habits, according to the transcript of the July 5-6 hearing.
The transcript was published in Wednesday's editions of The National, and the commissioner's office released the transcript later in the day. Vincent also issued a statement clearing Piniella.
"I am satisfied that Lou Piniella did not engage in any activity warranting further attention from my office," Vincent said. "I regret that the public disclosure of this testimony had unfairly insinuated Mr. Piniella into this affair."
Quinn said baseball investigator John Dowd, who gathered the information against Rose last year, interviewed him and Piniella during spring training at Plant City, Fla. Quinn said he considered the matter closed at that time.
The scene at Riverfront Stadium on Wednesday was eerily reminiscent of last July, when reporters surrounded Rose to talk about his gambling scandal. This time, Piniella ended up fielding the gambling questions.
"I have been to the race track six times this year. I enjoy going," Piniella said. "It's relaxing. When I go to the race track, I'm a $20-$50 bettor, tops. I go there to have fun."
by CNB