Cubs general manager Jim Hendry considered himself a purist, but came around on the idea of instant replay, reasoning: "(Once) the umpires felt it was appropriate, how can you go against that?"

Umpire supervisor Larry Young outlined the procedure at Wrigley Field on Thursday before it went into effect. Young emphasized that replay is limited to home run calls, and said he doesn't expect it to widen in scope.

The crew chief is ultimately responsible for making the call, and once he decides to look at the video on a monitor, he'll receive feeds from an MLB office in New York. Officials are aiming for reviews that last for about two minutes and 30 seconds. Cubs manager Lou Piniella won't be throwing any challenge flags onto the field.

"Ready or not," Piniella said before Thursday's game. "Listen, (I) think it's a good idea. Look, we have all the confidence in the world in the umpires. They do their jobs (very) professionally and very accurately. But there's an instance where they both can get a play (correct).

"Am I ready for replay? Yes."

Are you ready for instant replay? Has baseball lost part of its identity here? Will this be a small, measured step, or the first move toward replay of balls and strikes, calls at first base and catches in left field?

Cubs manager Lou Piniella was in a good mood after Thursday night's 6-4 win, walking into the interview room, past the microphone and straight toward the Japanese reporters who cover Kosuke Fukudome.

He smiled broadly and thanked them for the sake they gave him for his 65th birthday, and said they'll all have some tomorrow. That's how Lou rolls.

Lou Piniella, who turns 65 on Thursday, doesn't come across as particularly slick when he talks about the "Cubbies." Sometimes he'll mangle words, or mispronounce a name, or drift during his pregame media briefings. At those moments, you might forget just how competitive Piniella is, or how calculating the manager can be.

Right now is a good time to be young, rich and part of the Cubs. In this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, Luke Winn has a detailed article on Jeff Samardzija and how he wound up on the North Side instead of the NFL.

Within that piece, comparisons are made between Lou Piniella's bullpen and the one he managed in Cincinnati - The Nasty Boys. For some historical perspective on Piniella and his legendary temper, check out veteran baseball writer Hal McCoy's excellent blog:

(Rob) Dibble was his closer and there was a situation for him to close. Dibble didn't close and when I asked Dibble why he said, "Go ask the manager."
So I did. And Lou said, "He told me before the game his arm was a bit sore and he wasn't available."
So I returned to Dibble and told him what Piniella said and Dibble screamed, "The manager is a liar."
So I trudged back into Lou's office and said, "Your closer just called you a liar."
Piniella flattened me against his office door and he sprinted to the clubhouse, jumped on Dibble and the fight was on.

Right around the time sirens were blaring across Chicago on Monday night, warning of a potential tornado, television cameras caught Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder shoving pitcher Manny Parra in a dugout altercation in Cincinnati.

That incident blew up a year and two days after manager Ned Yost became entangled in another dugout incident with former Brewers Johnny Estrada and infielder Tony Graffanino.

If team chemistry means anything, Cubs fans should be encouraged by the reaction from Scott Eyre on Tuesday, when the struggling reliever (2-0, 7.15 ERA) was designated for assignment to make room for All-Star closer Kerry Wood on the 25-man roster.

"I enjoyed my time here in Chicago," Eyre said. "I wish it would've turned out different. But I tell you what - the hardest part is saying goodbye to teammates. It's a great bunch of guys, great place to play. And it's unbelievable fans - last night's game is a testament to what they're all about here.

"You can't really go and complain and say, 'Hey, I want to pitch' cause everyone's doing so well. ...Trust me, I'm cheering for everyone to do well, even now and I'll continue to do that the rest of the summer."

Eyre was forced to stand on the side of the stage in the interview room, so the Cubs logo on a microphone or backdrop wouldn't make the television shot, which seemed petty, especially since this guy was on the verge of tears.

"I have no ill feelings," Eyre said, "and I mean that truly."