Tony La Russa returned to Busch Stadium on Tuesday night firm in his desire to continue managing the Cardinals but admittedly unsure about the status of his coaching staff.

Appearing at an evening news conference in the home clubhouse minutes after arriving for two days of scouting meetings, La Russa acknowledged lingering questions about the return of hitting coach Mark McGwire and pitching coach Dave Duncan for divergent reasons.

"Mark might decide tomorrow. ‘Dunc' might decide tomorrow," La Russa said. "But they're coming at it from different places."

Two weeks ago La Russa also had sounded ambivalent about continuing as Cardinals manager, wondering if 15 years in one place was enough. Tuesday he assured a gathering of media members that he held no misgivings about his return.

"We have the makings of a real good club next year. What could be more exciting than that?" La Russa asserted during a 40-minute session in which he promised better media relations and a fresh method of emphasizing fundamentals to a team that played loosely for much of its 86-76 slide to second place.

He will participate in meetings beginning today with general manager John Mozeliak and the organization's professional scouts. La Russa arrives armed with a one-year contract that includes a mutual option for 2012. His acceptance comes a year after stiff-arming the club's multi-year proposal in favor of a straight one-year deal.

Now committed to his 16th season as Cardinals manager, La Russa, chafed at a suggestion that uncertainty about his future might have helped torpedo this season.

"Why in 2009 wasn't my authority questioned?" La Russa wondered about a season that ended with 91 victories and a NL Central title. "I think that's immaterial. You take every year like it's your last year. That's how you should manage."

La Russa no longer seemed concerned that his message might have become stale to a team criticized for indifferent defense and shoddy baserunning for much of last season.

He did allow, however, "You can refresh the message."

La Russa typically uses his coaching staff to underscore that message. For now, at least, the staff's composition remains vague following the dismissal Monday of bullpen coach Marty Mason and the personal and contractual issues that confront McGwire and Duncan, respectively.

La Russa on Monday referred to McGwire as "really torn" about whether to return for a second season as hitting coach following the birth June 1 of triplet daughters. McGwire, who has been asked back, last month raised the possibility of not returning because of family concerns. Those issues have become more obvious since McGwire rejoined his wife, Stephanie, and their five children in California, according to La Russa.

"He's having a real tussle trying to figure it out. Coach? Father? We'll see which way he goes," La Russa said. "He'll definitely be offered a chance to come back."

Duncan last week voiced a preference for a multi-year extension, something seemingly at odds with Mozeliak's suggestion this week that coaches' contracts would not extend beyond the one-year guarantee given La Russa.

"The ideal situation would not be to coach in St. Louis for one more year then find another place for two more years," Duncan said last week. "The ideal situation would be to coach three years in the same place."

Mozeliak is handling negotiations with the coaching staff and admitted uncertainty about McGwire's future during an announcement Monday of La Russa's return and Mason's ouster.

La Russa later underscored Duncan's potential availability to other clubs if he is not satisfied with the Cardinals' offer.

"I respect both sides of it," La Russa said Monday night. "I respect what the organization is trying to do. And I respect that for ‘Dunc,' when your contract runs out, it's fair to assess what your value is for the next contract."

Duncan on Monday declined comment about his status, citing his ongoing talks with Mozeliak. Those talks mighty have to wait until after this week's scouting meetings.

La Russa became uncomfortable discussing fissures that contributed to Mason's ouster after 12 seasons as the team's bullpen coach and 28 years within the organization.

La Russa acknowledged an adjustment to what he referred to as the club's "Moneyball" approach implemented after the ouster of Walt Jocketty as general manager three years ago.

"I think in just about every organization, when ‘Moneyball' hits, organizations scramble to get an intellectual information-type capability," La Russa said. "Working that in the organization has been a challenge for every team that has tried it. I don't think we were ever very far from the ‘Cardinal Way,' because it's too ingrained. We never got too far away from it. But there were some rough moments. ‘Mo' has recognized that. That's one of the things he made clear. The need to coordinate what we do throughout the system."

Pressed about the circumstances surrounding Mason's firing after 12 years as his bullpen coach, La Russa hedged, saying, "I just know his competence was really good."

La Russa admitted knowing of Mason's pending dismissal before leaving St. Louis on Oct. 7. Mason learned of the decision Monday.

La Russa played up what he considered a "positive" aspect of the coaching change: upward mobility within a player development staff frozen out by stability within the major-league ranks.

"It's very uncomfortable for me each spring to go into that major-league room with all those quality instructors and they're all doing the same thing they were doing the year before," La Russa said, adding, "The Marty issue was complicated. And part of it is the desire to give those guys in the minor leagues a chance to get to the big leagues. We've got a lot of good people down there."