CUBS IN BRIEF: Lou concedes 'culture' shock

Manager Lou Piniella all but admitted Friday he didn't realize just how massive a task he was taking on with the Cubs, but he insisted the team is headed in the right direction and said he doesn't regret the comments he frequently made before the season about how good this year's Cubs would be.

After all, what was he supposed to say after a 96-loss season and $300 million winter overhaul?

''Look, the biggest job that a manager has coming into this situation is to change the culture,'' Piniella said, embracing a concept he spent much of the last four months publicly downplaying. ''[If] I don't change the culture here, I'm not going to succeed as a manager, period.

''It's a tough job. I really have found that out. I've learned a hell of a lot in a short period of time here. But, still, you've got to change the culture. If not, there'll be a new staff in here in whatever period of time and they'll be talking about the same thing.''

Like the staffs of Dusty Baker, Don Baylor and Jim Riggleman before him.

Four months after talk of ''Cubbie swagger'' and winning immediately, the Cubs are six games under .500 and have a 7-15 record in one-run games. On the other hand, they're 5-3 in one-run games this month and 11-8 since opening June with back-to-back losses -- not great, not enough, but small signs that the changes Piniella is making and demanding are beginning to pay off.

''I wear my emotions on my sleeve, and I take this seriously, and I want this organization to prosper and this club to win and my players to do well,'' he said. ''Obviously, you're going to get frustrated at times. This is not the easiest thing in the world. But at the same time I recognize that we're getting effort and that we've got a good chance to get better, and that's what we're hoping for.''

Piniella dismissed critical remarks San Diego third baseman Geoff Blum made about Piniella's management style with catchers following the trade of Michael Barrett to the Padres this week.

Blum echoed the sentiments of former Tampa Bay Devil Rays teammate Toby Hall, now with the White Sox, when he said, ''This environment will be good for Mike because Lou Piniella and catchers don't get along, in my experience. I talked to Mike last week. In Tampa, Lou was always on Toby Hall. 'Why did you call this? Why did you call that?' Toby had gone over the scouting reports, but Lou took things out on Toby.''

Barrett, too, fidgeted, paused and grinned before answering a question about his relationship with Piniella and then spoke glowingly of playing for Piniella.

''Ask the catchers who've caught for me,'' Piniella said. ''You do things right, you win baseball games. That's what you want your players to do and, with Michael, he gave me everything he had.

''I had a great relationship with Michael.''

The good catchers who have played for Piniella in his 20-year managing career, such as Seattle All-Star Dan Wilson and Cincinnati World Series winner Joe Oliver, were Piniella supporters.

''You know what's amazing is, Lou wants to see things done right,'' Piniella said. ''That's all Lou wants. And if you do things right, you win baseball games.''

Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez returned from the disabled list Friday, batting as the DH, and delivered a home run in his first at-bat in two weeks.

''It's not like I'd like it to feel [at the plate],'' said Ramirez, whose jammed knee is still not 100 percent. ''But it's good enough to get the job done.''