It’s impossible to tell the story of baseball without uttering Lou Piniella’s name.

He spent 18 years as a player, suiting up for the Yankees, Royals, Indians and Orioles and compiling a career .291 average in more than 1,700 games.

Piniella then managed for 23 years including four on the North Side of Chicago, at the helm for the Cubs from 2007 through the middle of the 2010 season.

He oversaw a Cubs team that made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons in 2007-08 and won a World Series ring as the skipper of the 1990 Reds.

All the while, Piniella was one of the most quotable guys in the game, prone to hilarious one-liners and a unique perspective.

In honor of the baseball legend, we’re revising some of Piniella’s best quotes.

Quote:

“A pitching coach is a manager’s best friend. He’s handling 12 out of the 25 players on the team.”

Context:

There is definitely some truth to this one. Managers rely on their entire coaching staff, but the pitching coach is crucial as the point person for everything that happens out on the mound.

“All your coaches are invaluable. In all of the years I managed in the big leagues, I always had really good coaches. My job was to let them do their job, delegate authority to them and let them handle their particular areas. If you’re a young manager a bench coach is very important because he can teach you the ropes and really help you get your feet on the ground. But, when you’re more experienced, a pitching coach is probably your best ally. I was a hitter. I had never pitched, so the pitching coach had 12 or 13 of my 25 players that he would take care of. I was blessed that all the years I managed in the big leagues I had really good pitching coaches.”

Piniella still feels fortunate to have worked with all of his former assistant coaches, but was especially thankful for having Stan Williams – Yankees (1987-88), Reds (1990-91), Bryan Price – Mariners (2001-06), Larry Rothschild – Reds (1992-93), Cubs (2007-10) and Sammy Ellis – Yankees (1986), Mariners (1993-94) as his pitching coaches.