Lou was the kind of guy that you wanted on your side and specially at the plate when the tying or winning run was at second base. Piniella broke with Baltimore in 1964, traded to Cleveland in 1966 and was Rookie of the Year with the 1969 expansion Kansas City Royals: .282, 11 HR & 68 RBI.
In 1974, Lou became a Yankee and was an integral part of those winning teams: .295 over a 11 years and one of the toughest outs in the AL.
After playing, he managed Cincinnati to the 1990 World Series and took Seattle to the ALCS twice.
Frankly, I always cheered for whatever team he was playing for or managing.