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Cubs general manager Jim Hendry announced prior to the last game of the season that Kimm, named interim manager July 5, would not be retained for 2003.

"He came into the situation as an interim manger, which is always a tough situation," Hendry said Sunday. "He gave it his best shot. It didn't work out as well as we hoped it would of or how it started."

Did the Cubs let Kimm down?

"I'm not going to criticize players. That's not my style," Kimm said. "I think the best thing to say is it just didn't work out."

"I think we just didn't play well," Cubs co-captain Joe Girardi said.

The team ranked at the bottom in batting, entering Sunday's game with a .246 average. The big three of Sammy Sosa, Fred McGriff and Moises Alou never did match expectations, although Sosa will likely finish leading the National League with 48 home runs.

The Cubs struggled in day games, hitting a feeble .239, which is tough when they play the majority of games during the day.

Neither Kimm nor Don Baylor, who started the season as the Cubs manager, could get the players to cut down on the strikeouts, which limited what the team could do. The Cubs have whiffed a club-record 1,259 times.

The starting pitching staff -- which has a solid core to build on with Kerry Wood, Matt Clement, Mark Prior and Carlos Zambrano -- never got the offensive support and the bullpen let them down. The 1,318 strikeouts by Chicago's pitchers are the second-highest single-season total in Major League history.

Heading into the final game against Pittsburgh, the Cubs were 66-95 and in fifth place. Baylor guided the team to a 34-49 record before he was fired July 5 and the Cubs were 32-45 under Kimm with one game to go. Bench coach Rene Lachemann managed one game July 5.

Kimm, 51, was in his second season as the Triple-A Iowa manager prior to being promoted to the big league team. This was his 33rd year in professional baseball. Hendry said Kimm would be offered the Iowa job back but Kimm said it was unlikely he would do that.

"Bruce is an outstanding baseball man, I've known him a long time," Hendry said. "He gave it his best shot every day."

Hendry told Kimm prior to Sunday's game that it would be his last and gave him the option of waiting to make the announcement after the game ended. Kimm decided to let everyone know beforehand.

"I knew when I approached (the media) you'd ask me my status. And I wasn't going to lie to you," Kimm said. "I said, 'You might as well announce it because if they ask me, I'm not going to lie.'"

"I feel bad because he's a great person and a great human being," Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa said. "He had his chances. It was a tough year pretty much for everybody.

"I was very happy to play for him. Next year, we'll have some new faces. That's a decision they had to make. We'll have to deal with that."

Obviously, Kimm was disappointed at the news.

"It was a situation where the odds were probably against him to a degree," Hendry said. "But I think that's normal. Once we got out of the race, and once I felt like we weren't a factor, then the two or three trades we made didn't help his chances to win more.

"When you're out of the race, you owe it to the org to do what's best for the future and not for September."

The Cubs dealt relievers Jeff Fassero and Flash Gordon and third baseman Bill Mueller after the trading deadline, getting minor league players in return.

Kimm wasn't sure how it would be Sunday in the dugout for his last game.

"I'm an emotional guy," he said. "I cry at movies, cry at funerals if I know the person or not. It'll be a tricky day. It's part of the game. I'd rather be able to manage and things not to work out than never get the opportunity.

"Disappointed? Yeah," he said. "But I know I went about everything in a professional way. The organization has been great to me. I have no problem with the Chicago Cubs. They let me manage in the big leagues. I have no problem with the organization at all."

Could anyone have done better?

"I don't know," Kimm said. "Nobody knows. I gave them my best and my coaches worked their butts off for me. We tried to get it done and we just couldn't get it done.

"I love to manage. I know I can manage," he said. "Would I do things a little differently? Maybe in some cases. I love players. I know I can manage with anybody. If I get the opportunity, of course I'll manage.

"I'm sticking with what I said earlier, if the Lord wants me in Amana, Iowa, or Norway, Iowa, next year, that's where I'll be and I'll be happy with it."

He didn't want to offer any advice to his successor.

"I'm out the door," Kimm said. "I have nothing bad to say about anybody. It's just a situation that didn't work out."

Carrie Muskat is a writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Baseball or its clubs.