A disclaimer....I have dealt with Tony La Russa for the 17 seasons that he managed the St. Louis Cardinals. I found him to be arrogant and condescending with an ego even larger than his obvious talent for managing in the Major Leagues.
I simply do not care for the man. I was very careful to be objective as beat writer for the now defunct SportsTicker and later as a stringer.
Never would I have thought that he would be vindictive.
The list of La Russa's shenanigans (a word he used in one of the incidents that follow).
La Russa and his longtime pitching coach, Dave Duncan, accused Bronson Arroyo of hiding a foreign substance on his cap. He accused the Reds led by Dusty Baker of doctoring baseballs to make them slick. I personally witnessed him packing a box of baseballs to be examined with this quote. "I know they are up to shenanigans."
There are numerous other "charges" that La Russa has leveled at other teams that have all gone unpunished because they were simply unproven. See Kenny Rogers in the World Series with the Tigers in 2006. He accused Rogers of using foreign substance which turned out to be dirt.
It has been my experience when someone calls thief all the time, they are the thief, thinking about larceny so much, they project it on others.
In September 2010 Brandon Phillips called La Russa and his team out and that led to a fight. Johnny Cueto pinned against the screen behind home plate kicked a couple Cardinal players with former Reds' catcher Jason LaRue.
Though retired and acting as a special consultant to baseball commissioner Bud Selig, La Russa has been named as the manager of the NL All-Star team. Managers pick bench players and pitchers in the selection process.
Sunday La Russa failed to name arguably the top pitcher in the National League Johnny Cueto to the All-Star team. He also failed to name Phillips, who is hands down the best all-around secondbaseman in the National League. There is little to debate as far as Phillips being better than starter Dan Uggla and chosen at large Jose Altuve. This is not to slight Uggla and Altuve but they are just not having a better year than Phillips is.
Altuve is hitting .304 to Phillips .283 and has the advantage that requires at least one player from every NL team be represented. Uggla's numbers aren't even close .234 average. Uggla hit 11 home runs to Phillips 10. Phillips has driven home 46 runs to Uggla's 43.
Cueto is among the top 10 in wins (9), ERA (2.29) and innings pitched 107 plus.
Dusty Baker stuck up for his players without mincing words. Baker is, above all, brutally honest. He is not concerned if you don't like his answers but he answers them with thought and truthfulness.
" A snub like that looks bad. Johnny and Brandon were at the center of skirmish between us and the Cardinals. Some of Cardinals who aren’t there anymore are making some of the selection,” Baker told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Baker knew the media would play up his comments.
“Maybe they should,” he said.
La Russa fired back exclusively to the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
"If Dusty had been more interested in Cueto being on the team, then he wouldn't be pitching him on Sunday," said La Russa.
"The comments Dusty made clearly disappoint me and are attacking my integrity. The All-Star experience is too important to let anything stand in the way of a decision like that. No way am I going to penalize anybody for any kind of past history. The fact is that Cueto is going to be pitching on Sunday. Some other day, he's probably on the team.
"Tell Dusty he can look in the mirror for Cueto not being on the All-Star team."
La Russa isn't kidding anyone. No manager has ever snubbed a starter because he was pitching the Sunday before the game. It is also against the rules. Would La Russa give up a game to accommodate the All-Star game? His reasoning is as weak as the Greek economy.
La Russa simply can not defend his decision. Not for Cueto and not for Zack Greinke, who is not starting Sunday and like Cueto is more deserving than the Cardinals Lance Lynn. The Brewers also had a couple beefs with La Russa's Cardinals.
La Russa has questioned the integrity of many in his days as a manager. He now has the gall to acted surprised when someone questions his.
La Russa will forever be a classless act.
Cincinnati Sports News and Commentary
About Me
- Gary Schatz
- I am a freelance writer. I've covered the Cincinnati Reds, Bengals and others since 1992. I have a background in sales as well. I've sold consumer electronics, advertising and consumer package goods for companies ranging from the now defunct Circuit City to Procter&Gamble. I have worked as a stats operator for Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati, the College of Mount St. Joe and Colerain High School.
MLB Network had a nice clip on Quick Pitch of Jose Altuve in the club house being recognized as the team's representative to the All-Star Game.
ReplyDeleteUggla is the fans' mistake. Poor choice. Not enough folks at GABP punched the ticket of Dat Dude. If the Reds were further ahead in the NL Central.
My problem is not with Altuve or the rule. I'm happy for the kid. Uggla shouldn't have been voted in, granted but Phillips should have at least been on the final ballot like Votto was when the fans screwed the pooch in 2010..And how in the world did Pablo Sandoval get voted in ahead of David Wright. The MLB system becomes more of a joke every year. Silicon valley technology beat the system. Non of this absolves La Russa...and his explanation of Cueto's snub wouldn't hold water in a bucket.
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