Tony LaRussa

[Patrick425]

Since no one has posted an actual link to LaRussa saying this I'm going to assume that he did not really make that statement. I'm pretty positive if he did there would be a lot more being said about it in the sports circles. LaRussa or not...he would not be allowed to get away with a statement like that.

[stoutdude04]

Since no one has posted an actual link to LaRussa saying this I'm going to assume that he did not really make that statement. I'm pretty positive if he did there would be a lot more being said about it in the sports circles. LaRussa or not...he would not be allowed to get away with a statement like that.

 

3rd time youve mentioned it. If someone finds one im sure it will be up. You dont want to believe it? Fine. Just wait for a link, I understand it is important for you.

[wallus]

Can someone please put up a link? I need to know now otherwise no way it can be true.

[wallus]

A link anyone? It's been a while...

[Team Canada]

Dude, wait more than 3 minutes in between posts.

[DougJones43]

Maybe LaRussa will manage the Brewers next year because him managing clearly would have given us 15 more wins this year.

 

Way to exaggerate what the people who want Yost replaced actually say or think. That really proves something. Also, nice job offering some contrary evidence as to why you think he wouldn't be better than Yost. Sarcastic, ad hominem one-liners really make for solid arguing points, and help move intelligent discussion forward!

[Patrick425]

Since no one has posted an actual link to LaRussa saying this I'm going to assume that he did not really make that statement. I'm pretty positive if he did there would be a lot more being said about it in the sports circles. LaRussa or not...he would not be allowed to get away with a statement like that.

 

3rd time youve mentioned it. If someone finds one im sure it will be up. You dont want to believe it? Fine. Just wait for a link, I understand it is important for you.

Yeah, it is the 3rd time I mentioned it. I think this thread should be locked if a link isn't provided. I find it hard to believe that this site would allow someone just to post some "rumor" suggesting that a manager is hinting that he is gowing to through a series because he does not like a certain team. Otherwise can anyone just come on this site and start a thread about some story that a buddy told them about in the bar?

 

This would be big news, and other than this thread, I have not heard anything about it. The thread should be locked.

[1992casey]

The lead poster's credibility has always been fine, but certainly, sources should always be provided. Of course, a source isn't always a link. Sometimes, it'll be "so and so said such and such" on ESPN Radio, Home Plate, etc. This was probably just an oversight.

[Invader3K]

Well, a while ago some thread about someone spotting Doug Davis in a bar was allowed to go for a while, IIRC.

 

But, yeah...this thread hasn't done anything to back up any claims with substance.

[Patrick425]

The lead poster's credibility has always been fine, but certainly, sources should always be provided. Of course, a source isn't always a link. Sometimes, it'll be "so and so said such and such" on ESPN Radio, Home Plate, etc. This was probably just an oversight.

True, but a story like this, a manager hinting about throwing games, would be everywhere..internet, radio, papers...everywhere. It would definitly be in the Chicago media...have not seen it.

[windiv07]

I think we can chalk that speech up to another urban legend.

[1992casey]

The Davis thread did provide a "source", although in that case I use the term "source" loosely. The thread started becoming problematic when some members started profiling Davis with further hearsay anecdotal stuff to the point where other members started feeling very uncomfortable.

 

The unfortunate thing is that the original poster hasn't visited this forum since yesterday afternoon. But that's also normal 'real life' not to be on the internet for that kind of time span.

[Thurston Fluff]

I'd love to see Tony LaRussa here. He'd have nightly drinking contests before he let the players go home. Maybe we'd get to find him drunk in his running car at a street corner sometime after midnight around Milwaukee as well. Any one who thinks LaRussa doesn't make many strategic mistakes during a game hasn't looked to closely. A lot of critisism was forgotten last year after his team won the WS. LaRussa's tends to like veteran teams which given Milwaukkes status isn't ideal long term. He has a style that tends to rub a lot of people the wrong way. Don't take my word for it ask Ozzie Smith what he thinks of LaRussa. I heard an interview with him a few years ago on Rome. He wasn't very complimentary of him.

[crewcrazy]

LaRussa has always struck me as the kind of guy who'll bring wins to your team, but drive your best players out of town in the process. Scott Rolen and Albert Pujols can't wait for the guy to get out of town. TLR isn't the kind of guy I'd want managing the Brewers if we're really concerned with being able to keep Prince and/or Braun past their arby years.

[Big Reed]

I don't believe threads always need sources or links. Sometimes threads are speculation or beliefs of the poster. it's nice to see a link of a contoversial quote. but i don't think the quote attributed to larussa in the first post is really that controversial that it requires a link. I once wasted 16 hours trying to find a link where Sheffield said he purposely made fielding errors in order to force the brewers to trade him. At the end of those 16 hours, all I could find was a reference to a radio interview Sheffield had. So, if you don't believe the original poster, a link probably won't change your mind. ARod's wife didn't really wear a profanity laced tshirt, but everybody used a link to the NY Daily news story that said she did. and that story was a blatant lie as the picture blurred out the profanity but said it was one. and no other reputable newspaper carried that story other than maybe the Globe. Links are not always truthful.

 

on a related note, I heard on KMOX radio (St louis radio station ) as part of Mike Shannon's after game show this week after a cub game that it may be time for Larussa to move on. This was pure speculation on Shannon's part. he backed up his speculation by saying that certain cardinals players are no longer responding to Larussa's directions. Puhols was still very mad Larussa didn't use him to pinch hit in the all star game. Larussa's DUI was brought up. Mike Shannon mentioned several other factors that might lead to Larussa leaving the Cardinals after this year. But his main points were that larussa has basically alienated himself from the players of this year's team, and they are no longer responding to his demands, and it might just be time to move on. he didn't say the Cards would fire larussa, but rather, larussa would find a way out of his contract and move on to bigger and better things.

 

As for larussa becoming the next brewers' manager. all I can say is take a look at his current contract. if larussa left the Cardinals, he's not going to take a cut in pay. i don't see any way the brewers would or ccould be willing to pay the salary that larussa would command. The brewers are just not the type of team to give $5 million to a manager no matter how good he is. I would agree that larussa would have probably won a few more games for us this year if he was our coach. however , we have Yost. and because we have Yost at a relatively low cost, the brewers have been able to apply money to other areas. One must realize if the brewers were to hire some name coach and pay him $5 million, that money has to come from some other area such as not paying as much bonuses to draft picks, or not resigning Sheets.

 

it would great to have larussa as our manager. but we must realize there are trade-offs. and I doubt if brewerfans would like the monitary trade-offs that would be required. Yost is not the greatest coach in the world. But he's a pretty good coach for the money he is paid.

[Patrick425]

I don't believe threads always need sources or links. Sometimes threads are speculation or beliefs of the poster.

So, if I start a thread that states that Prince Fielder is on steroids because it's something that I speculate or I believe, that's ok? The original poster stated it as coming from a LaRussa speach. What speech?

 

i don't think the quote attributed to larussa in the first post is really that controversial that it requires a link

I think the commissioner of MLB would beg to differ. Heck, Houston felt it neccesary to explain their pitching line-up to the commisioner and the Cubs. This is a manager that is suggesting they will lose some games on purpose. Ever hear of the Black Sox?

 

edit: by the way, I'm not suggesting that Bud Selig cares what is posted here. I'm saying that I think he would probably pursue disiplinary action had LaRussa really made that statement.

[1992casey]

I don't believe threads always need sources or links. Sometimes threads are speculation or beliefs of the poster. it's nice to see a link of a contoversial quote. but i don't think the quote attributed to larussa in the first post is really that controversial that it requires a link.

Big Reed, the issue at hand is the lead poster erroneously assumed this 'speech' was common knowledge. It turns out that it isn't common knowledge and nobody has been able to find what seems to have been said.

 

It was clear that the speculation part of the lead post was speculation. Also, there's been lots of LaRussa speculation on the news and around the web.

 

I've PMed sheetswannabe to make sure he doesn't forget about us and make sure he stops by this thread on his next visit to clarify the content of his message.

[jeffy]

FWIW, this comment is a topic on cubs board:

 

Tony LaRussa

 

and Cardinals:

 

TLR comes unglued...cubs fans snicker

 

Sounds like it was meant as joke.

 

 

(added text to long links --1992)

[Thurston Fluff]

I don't believe LaRussa would have won any more games with this team than Ned has.

Last year TLR had a veteran team with a normal amount of injuries in a weak division and lead them to 83 wins. I know he also managed that team to a WS title but if you give him credit for that then he also should get the blame for all the times he failed to get a better team the title. Do we really want someone who can't win a WS with a 100 team?http://static.yuku.com//domainskins/bypass/img/smileys/wink.gif

Ned this year has a very young team with three rookies playing vital roles, in a better division (admmittedly very little better), with a normal amount of injuries and has them on pace for 84 wins.

This year LaRussa has lost his Ace and had a few injuries to some key players. What has he done with that so far? Managed them to 10 games below .500, 8 games off the pace. Last year Ned lost his ace and 3/4 of his infield to injury. What did Ned do with his team? At this point the team was 68-82 and ended up 75-87, 8 1/2 games back.

What's the differance?

Given about as similar of circumstances as one could presume to get they both did pretty much the same if you ask me.

 

LaRussa has a better history than Ned but that can be expected given the circumstances of each managers history (or lack thereof). LaRussa has a better winnning % but also has more losing seasons if I'm not mistaken. Neither of them managed to win when they didn't have enough talent. The only differance I would argue is it's harder to win with a young team going through a pennant race for the first time than it is for a veteran one with a history of going through a pennant race.

Maybe LaRussa is a better strategist maybe not. Ned seems to be a better manager of people than LaRussa IMO. No one gets to see how many games in the win column that matters but I'd be willing to bet most GM's are more interested in that as a managerial quality than whether he fails to pinch hits for someone appropriately once in a while.

[Patrick425]

Sounds like it was meant as joke.

That would make more sense. If it was done in front of Cards season ticket holders at a luncheon or something and clearly meant as a joke, then I can understand why there has been no news about it. Although, not sure if it would be wise for a manager to even joke about something like that. Things have a tendancy to get taken out of context in this day and age.

[Fatter than Joey]

This year LaRussa has lost his Ace and had a few injuries to some key players.

 

He lost his top 2 starters and had a player die. -- It's been a tough year for them

[Ennder]

The Cardinals have about three useful players on the entire team right now outside of the bullpen. Pujols, Wainwright and Ankiel (Duncan is hurt). Pretty much the rest of that team outside of the bullpen would ride the bench if the Brewers and Cardinals merged teams.

 

That is a terrible team that should be in last place in this division.

[brettac1]

It's an absolute credit for LaRussa to be able to keep that team in contention as long as he did - a baseball version of a miracle. He is consistently able to squeeze productivity out of players that you would least expect him to, due to platooning and putting them in a position to succeed. His rotation had guys like Braden Looper in it, for cripes sakes. If they had finished .500 he'd have my vote for manager of the year. He still has it for manager of the generation.

[logan82]

He didn't have this bad of a roster even a month ago and the NL Central isn't exactly a very tough division. Almost half the teams in the NL have better records than our division leader.

[logan82]

Stop second guessing! Maybe it was a "gut" feeling. Whatever it was, I think we should just assume he had a good reason for it, and not question it any further. There's so much that goes on in a major league dugout, you couldn't possibly understand enough to formulate a valid opinion on the subject. Everybody makes mistakes. How do you know that a different manager wouldn't do the same stupid things over and over and over and over and over and over and over, just like Ned?

 

It's easy to question the decison now that it didn't work out, but what if Bush had hit a homerun? What if Braun's defensive replacement made an awesome defensive play and then hit the game-winning homerun?? You'd be hailing Ned a genius. Instead, you're questioning his moves because you HATE him. Stop asking questions. Support Ned, or get off the Brewer bandwagon...

Why do you make it out that everybody who likes Yost thinks those who don't should go cheer for another team?