When he heard that his first big-league skipper had called him a “kid,” Bobby Scales couldn’t help but smile. “Sounds good to me,” he said. “Maybe we can hoodwink him and make him think I’m 26.” Scales is 31 years and 7 months old, so he wasn’t about to fool Lou Piniella. But the “kid” did impress the Chicago Cubs manager Tuesday in his major-league debut. After 11 years of bouncing around the minors, Scales, who supplements his income by working as a substitute teacher during the offseason, started at second base at Wrigley Field. He singled, scored a run and made a diving stop to rob Bengie Molina of a hit. The Hollywood-like story didn’t have a fairy-tale ending, however, as Scales struck out to end the game, a 6-2 loss to the Giants. The Associated Press; Getty Images file photo
