TLR on Joel P.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa said Wednesday morning he wasn’t surprised by Joel Pineiro’s pointed response to being excluded from Team Puerto Rico’s starting rotation for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, a response that included Pineiro withdrawing from the tournament.
La Russa acknowledged speaking to Pineiro earlier this week in what became an emotional meeting for the pitcher.
Pineiro Wednesday morning heavily criticized Team Puerto Rico’s manager, who happens to be Cardinals third-base coach Jose Oquendo.
Pineiro said he believed Oquendo had “disrespected” him with the decision.
“I respect Joel and his desire to compete like that. And I respect the fact that he understands he has the opportunity to be one our five and that one of the plusses is that it won’t be disrupted from that. But I also respect Jose Oquendo,” La Russa said.
La Russa empathized with Oquendo but insisted he did not try to influence his third-base coach’s decision, which by extension leaves Pineiro on campus all spring. (Oquendo will take Cardinals Gold Glove catcher Yadier Molina. Like Pineiro, Molina participated in the ‘06 WBC.)
“This is a very tough call. I respect he made a tough call,” La Russa said.
As for Oquendo’s decision not to include Pineiro in Team Puerto Rico’s rotation, La Russa said, “I never talked to him about it. I didn’t say anything about it. Because I learned three years ago when I told him not to take Yadi, he’s going to ignore me. He took Yadi three years ago. Now I stay out of it.”
(10 votes, average: 4.6 out of 5)
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From everything I have ever heard about Jose Oquendo as a coach/manager in baseball, the guy knows what he is talking about. If he didn’t carry Pineiro as a starter then he had 5 guys better than him, end of story.
Joel you are at best a minor league pitcher….and only mediocre at that. As everyone before me has said “suck it up” and try hard to improve your game.
Is anyone else kinda fed up with this World Baseball Classic and the disruption it has on MLB. I realize the WBC is good for baseball as a whole, but not when they run it. Why not have it earlier? It is warm in many places on this planet. I’m tired of reading about who’s going to play and who isn’t, and fear injury to those Cardinal players who choose to play. It seems to me that, with how much they are paid, their obligation is to the ML team they play for. I could not care less about the WBC. I wonder if I am alone on that.
Get the guy out of camp and plug Kyle Mac or a free agent in there. The last thing we need is another nonproductive malcontent ruining our spring mojo. This guy is a hothead (remember the glare to Duncan in LF in MIL last May?) that is more impressed with himself than the team. I know it’s hard to swallow $7.5 million, but it may prove to be a valuable move considering this brickhead can influence the camp and even worse, the season.
Pinero has one decent game against the Mets at the end of the 07 season & gets a new contract. The Red Sox let Pinero go for a reason.
IMO, Pinero is not even #6 starter. He is below average & does not have electric stuff. I bet Puerto Rico feels “disrespected” by Pinero as he doesn’t want to represent them in any compacity.
I say trade Pinero to the Royals & then see what kind of attitude he carries around while the Royals lose game after game.
Send him packin MO… Livan Hernadez would be a better #5 starter than Pinero… WE DONT NEED HIS STINKIN ATTITUDE HERE IN THE LOU!!
Each week I find a new reason to dislike the World Baseball Classic.
Snell actually had a worse record than Pineiro and a higher ERA last year. And just happens to be married to an Oquendo.
I want Oquendo to be our manager after TLR retires. I hope he gets that opportunity.
I agree with those who feel the last thing the Cards need now at Spring training is Pineiro’s soap opera. Play ball! Please . . . it’s been a long winter.
“Take it out on Yadi”???
Yadi is an all star caliber catcher. Pinero is a guy struggling to even STAY in a rotation. He better not take it out on Yadi.