Blogcast: La Russa says why he’s back, and why he brought Big Mac with him (video)
DOWNTOWN — One of the elements of his decision that preoccupied Tony La Russa as he considered whether to return as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals was message vs. messenger. He mentioned that this afternoon as he explained how he came to weigh whether his message had grown tired or if the players had grown tired of the messenger, no what he had to say.
In his press conference, the video of which is below, La Russa said he’s coming back and he’s already drawing in some new inspiration for to relay messages to the 2010 season. As you’ll hear, he even is borrowing from a new book that he read on the flight to St. Louis. (An interesting choice for in-flight reading, but …)
A similar question could be asked of the coaching change, La Russa also announced: Message vs. Messenger.
In the postmortem of the 2009 season, it became clear that the Cardinals wanted to address some lingering concerns with their overall offensive approach. Getting on base was an issue for this club. Strike-zone judgment — something stressed and re-stressed in recent spring trainings — remained an issue. La Russa acknowledges that his new hitting coach is a novice, but he’s also fluent in the preferred approach from La Russa and he “may have some new ways of saying things that get through to the hitters.”
The new hitting coach, of course, is Mark McGwire. You may have heard.
Quotes from the press conference held at Busch Stadium can be found here in Cardinal Beat.
In the video clip below, prepared by Post-Dispatch A/V guru Huy Mach, La Russa, after the initial opening statements, describes McGwire’s path from a guy who swings a bat to a batter. And he says how that prepares McGwire to go from personal coach to a few hitters to a major-league hitting coach in his first crack at coaching. He also answers the question: Was he surprised that McGwire actually accepted this time?
The press conference begins after a short advertisement.
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Pictured in the video along with La Russa are Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and GM John Mozeliak. And, yes, that is a photo of Hall of Fame baseball writer Bob Broeg over La Russa’s shoulder, as if observing and assessing every word.
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Derrick Goold said he was going to Mizzou for capital-J journalism, but after growing up in the Time Zone Baseball Forgot he was really drawn to MU sitting between two major-league cities. Goold joined the Post-Dispatch in 2001 after working for The Times-Picayune and Rocky Mountain News, covering sports from LSU to NHL and every level of baseball in between. 
Brian Burwell is a 500 pound elephant
THE BEST NEWS OUT OF CARDINAL NATION EVER!
LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD ! Tony Larussa a lawyer knew no one would be prosecuted when he let steroids into the Oakland clubhouse, which says Larussa cares about nothing but winning at any cost and the multi million dollars he makes yearly. LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD ! LaRussa a convicted drunk behind the wheel has orchestrated the steroid scandal since the 1990’s when he got a World Series, and the owners of the Oakland team, the Haas family looked the other way. WHY? Because Bud Selig another scum bag let it happen. LET THE TRUTH BE TOLD. Walt Jocketty former GM at St Louis started with LaRussa in the 1960’s with the Chicago White Sox, and then they both went to Oakland, then Walt landed the GM job in St. Louis, fired Joe Torre, and brought his butt buddy LaRussa and steroid queen McGuire to St. Louis to continue the steroid perpetration. McGuire was a strike out king before he started injecting steroids in his ****, and Jocketty and LaRussa played it for all it was worth, finally getting a World Series with a barely 500 percentage winning record. And the St. Louis Cardinal fans were duped with a phony homerun king. Then Budwiser sold the team to another bunch of losers like Bud Selig, but Walt Jocketty was out/fired cause he wanted total control including the minor leagues, so LaRussa didnt back Jocketty to save hiss own multimillion contract, and besides Jocketty was just Larussas prostitute all along from the very beginning anyway. CHECK IT OUT ITS THE TRUTH. LARUSSA is a pimp, who knew steroids could be allowed way back when he managed Oakland and let it happen. St. Louis fans are being used by a bum to the game. LaRussa cares less about the image on young kids who dream to play pro ball, and LaRussa always has someone in front of him taking the heat. And Now LaRussa conned the ownership of the Cardinals into letting another butt buddy McGuire join his crooked game. I know all this because I am related to Jocketty and have watched this fiasco go on for over 20 years. Its a shame because guys like LaRussa are scum to the game of baseball through and through. Cardinal fans desere better than thiscraphead and McGuire probably has run out of money, so Tony gives the bum a job. Shows ya how baseball is nothing but a fix from Bud Selig on down. What always grabbed my attention was how LaRussa got Jocketty to learn how to write contracts with carribean ball players in Oakland, as Tony is a lawyer, then Jocketty lies on his resume to look qualified to be a GM, but look at him now in Cincinnatti, with the team he has. Losers, guess that tells ya hes not qualified doesnt it. Ooops hes got Dusty Baker managing, another over the hill relic to hide behind. Well, Larussa just got another two years contract and I guarantee you after this McGuire debacle, both will be gone, and good riddens to both of these scum bums. Next lets get the Bud Selig jek out of baseball, start investigating this perverted greed bag and baseball will finally begin cleaning itself up, so youg kids can dream and not have to be subjected to such shameful people who are theives, drunks and druggies. LAST BUT NOT LEAST. Two Wrongs Dont Make A Right, so for all you fans who want to point the finger of blame to other players, let it go, its about having a clean game, and for that matter the people at the top have to be removed and laws enacted to prosecute people like Selig and Larussa and McGuire will serve a notice that it isn’t worth it anymore
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WELCOME BACK Tony,Dave & MARK McGWIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is GREAT NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now how about lets try to get Matt Halliday,Mark DeRosa,& Jason LaRue back and have a GREAT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GREAT way to start the off season GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The circus that never ends. I guess the Holliday side show was opening act to the big mac main attraction. Well they needed something to pay for this years new free agents and that fat salary Tony received. I’d be curious to see if season tickets increase with mac in the dugout. It is a business and you do have to keep the paying customers interested. I suppose when the lions, tigers, and bears, just don’t cut it anymore you bring the clowns.
What a great way to kick off the hotstove season for the best franchise in baseball. Big Mac back in Cardinal red - can’t wait for Jupiter.
First of all, this is great news for Cardinal Nation. Secondly, Brad…you are a moron. If you feel the need to run your mouth in a completely negative, look at me, way of grabbing attention…at least spell McGwire’s name correctly. Go back to fox news and let those idiots tell you how to dress, talk, think and live. The rest of us will look forward with great anticipation of the possibilities that this can bring us. If you feel the need to spout off such cynical beliefs take them to a forum where you will be accepted…or start your own orgy of one. I happen to believe that this is a great move and it will keep Cardinal Baseball in our minds all winter long…what can possibly be better than that?
Knittel you are the moron Big Mac played here 5 years. The guy does not deserve a highway named after him are a coaching job he spent 11 years in Oakland with a needle stuck in his rear. I know his brother is lying and hey Canseco is totally wrong. Do you see any highways named Brock are Gibson true Cardinals and true hall of fame. I see Matheny being groomed I see all the good old boys being taken care of. Look at all the ex Cardinals in the booth working in the farm system. I see Tony doesnt use Brock for base running help he does not use Ozzie for fielding help but I know Knittel these guys are just true Cardinals and true hall of famers. Where is Willie Vince and on and on any true Cardinal fan has to see this.
Wow, Brad. Here’s the real TRUTH: it’s spelt McGwire. Thanks for coming out.
Thanks for the response Topdog…I do understand your remarks and comments and you do make a few valid points. However, if you could actually form a single complete grammatically correct sentence your flawed thoughts would make much more sense. I realize I do not write that well either, so I will see you at the mensa meeting. But, seriously…just make one sentence a complete one!