You ever have a favorite tv show? What about a favorite pair of jeans? Or maybe you drove around in a beat up old car, because you were too scared to trade it in, in fear that the new one would break down on you within a week? Well, that's where I'm at with the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, Tony La Russa. I don't know if I would go so far as to say, that I live my life by the saying, "If it isn't broke, don't try to fix it." But I do like the saying, none the less. I guess you would say, I maintain the stance that the Cardinals are broke, and do need fixing. They need to start by fixing the manager position, and removing Tony La Russa from the manager post. This isn't a case of misguided anger. You might be saying to yourself, "Well, the Cardinals aren't having a good year this year. They've missed the playoffs the last two years, but isn't La Russa one of the all time winningest coaches?" Or, "Everyone wants to point to the manager, but aren't the players ultimately responsible for their performance on the field?" Valid points and questions. To answer the first, yes...he is actually second on the list of wins by a manager. http://www.baseball-reference.com/managers/larusto01.shtml. And, as for the second question, it is up to the players to produce on the field. However, it is up to the manager, to put the players in the best position to produce. Tony, in my opinion, doesn't do that. He has become too obsessed with statistics, and probabilities, and past matchups/results. Today's baseball game, is played more by instinct. A natural feel for the flow of the game you are playing. Tapping into the momentum, the electricity in the ballpark. Not burying your head in some notebook, trying to figure out how many times your current pitcher has faced a particular batter on the other team, in the last 10 years. Quite frankly the game has passed him by.
Don't just take my word for it. Sportswriters who have covered Tony for years, are puzzled by the way he has managed the bullpen this year. http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/article_b3479fb0-ce5e-11e0-b5f9-001a4bcf6878.html. You might make the argument that the local media in St. Louis has it out for him. Maybe they are looking for a new manager to talk to during spring training? Someone that doesn't keep everything a little too close to the vest. Someone who won't belittle them when they make a suggestion, at the post game news conference following a loss. Tony La Russa's criticism isn't just confined to fans and media personalities alike. He has drawn the ire of managers of other teams, players of other teams, sportscasters from other teams, and players on his own team! In 2009 Sports Illustrated conducted a poll, in which they asked 380 current major league ballplayers, who they would least like to play for. Tony La Russa came in third. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1157450/3/5/index.htm. He has fought publicly with Scott Rolen, while he was a member of the Cardinals. Tony La Russa publicly questioned his toughness before a playoff series, during their world series run in 2006. He has been videotaped arguing with Chris Carpenter and other players, in the dugout during games.
We live in a results based world these days. The job market is flooded, with people looking for jobs, all over the nation, in all professions. For some reason Cardinals chairman Bill Dewitt Jr, has given Tony La Russa a pass for not producing these past few seasons. In the nearly, 16 years Tony La Russa has been manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, he has brought home 2 pennants and 1 world series to St. Louis. Can you imagine being a car salesman, and you only fulfill your quota 2 years out of the 16 years you are with the company? I wish I had that kind of job security. It's time to pull the plug on the Tony La Russa era. Bring in a young manager to coach our young team. Let's re-energize this place!
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