peichholz posted on April 10, 2009 00:00
It’s less than a week into the ’09 baseball season and things are already getting a little chippy in Cardinal Nation. The polarizing figure at the center of the debate is Redbirds Skipper Tony La Russa. It seems that most fans are divided into two factions. On one side, you have the fiercely loyal La Russa supporters who believe Tony was sent to St. Louis on a cloud from 
baseball heaven with a fungo bat and a golden touch. On the other, you have the outspoken La Russa bashers who consider Tony the antichrist and want to chase him outside the city limits with torches and pitchforks in hand. Regardless of which side of the fence you find yourself, you can’t deny that the discussion is captivating. In a city where everyone loves the home team, it is amazing that one man can cause such decisiveness among Cardinals fans.
The La Russa backers are led by Tony himself. These fans hang on to his every word and treat every rationalization of his moves as baseball gospel. They argue that the results speak for themselves, citing the facts that La Russa has more wins than any manager in team history and has led the Birds to the playoffs in 7 of 13 years as leader of the club. The 2006 World Series Championship, the team’s first since 1982, is all the proof they need that La Russa was sent here for a purpose. If you ask a La Russa lemming, Tony fell asleep behind the wheel because the seats of his Navigator were too comfortable. La Russa leads and they follow.
The bashers are led by Kevin Slaten. They tune into the most popular sports radio show in St. Louis to partake in daily floggings of the manager. Like the loyalist, the “La Genius” haters reference the record too. However, they note the fact that he has more losses than any manager in team history and lament the opportunities missed in the postseason. The sweep 
in the ’04 Series is the icing on their anti-La Russa cake. They can’t stand his ever-changing lineup card or unpredictable use of the bullpen. You know the expression, “I wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire?” Well, the La Russa bashers would, whether he was en fuego or not.
Personally, I’m concerned for members of both parties. This is serious stuff among Cardinals fans. Previously happy homes are divided over this guy. Fathers and sons can’t be in the same room with each other when the La Russa issue is broached. The Cardinals are only 4 games into a looong season and the debate is already boiling. Both sides need to pace themselves if they are going to make it to the finish line. There is one thing regarding La Russa that can be agreed on by both sides, as long as Tony is the manager, the debate will continue to rage. It should be fun.
Extra Innings:
- It infuriates me that despite a Silver Slugger award, an All-Star appearance, and a 12-game hitting streak that Tony sat Ludwick for the second game of the season, the night after he went yard.
- I don’t buy the argument that David Freese should play because he’s from St. Louis. It’s a good story, but performance should dictate playing time and Joe Thurston has been excellent when he’s been in the game (With the exception of a pretty bad base running gaffe in the 9th Wednesday night).
- I think it was a terrible decision to send Yadi on Rasmus’ fly ball in the 7th inning Wednesday afternoon. Yadi is slower than dial-up and I’d rather have Pujols at the plate with two outs and the bases juiced than leading off in the 8th or hitting with an open base if Molina had made it.
- Welcome back Carp.
Pete Eichholz plays sportswriter on Thursday nights; you can read him here on Fridays.
slippery11pete@yahoo.com