Dave Duncan emphasized two points Friday afternoon after the Cardinals officially named Derek Lilliquist his successor as pitching coach:

His wife, Jeanine, is doing remarkably well as she confronts brain cancer.

And his decision to step away from the position he held for 16 seasons had nothing to do with Tony La Russa's resignation as manager.

"My intention in a perfect world was to come back and coach in 2012," Duncan said. "It's not perfect yet."

Duncan made clear that Jeanine is responding well to aggressive, cutting edge treatment orchestrated by the Duke University Medical Center. However, the treatment extends well beyond semi-monthly visits to the Durham, N.C., facility and recently called for a second round of chemotherapy. With spring training approaching, Duncan felt Jeanine deserved his primary attention and that baseball would have to go on without him.

"When I realized how hard Jeanine was fighting this thing and how much success they were having with the treatment … I think the decision kind of made itself," Duncan said. "Paying attention to every little detail has been beneficial. She's doing really well. I couldn't do anything to disrupt the process. With the amount of time we would be separated, I just didn't think it was for the best" to return as pitching coach.

Jeanine is unable to drive and must take a precise array of medicines each day. A Springfield facility administers chemotherapy, making a trip for her to spring training out of the question. Forced to spend so much time apart from his wife for much of his coaching career, Duncan is unwilling to make compromises during her fight.

"This is the No. 1 priority for me," he said.

The club assured Duncan shortly after La Russa's resignation that it would accommodate his schedule as Jeanine's condition required. However, Duncan learned what he initially thought a workable situation to be far more complicated when he returned to his southwest Missouri home following the World Series.

The couple's sons, Shelley and Chris, cared for Jeanine during the Cardinals' four-week postseason run. Though she was holding up well, Jeanine required close monitoring that Dave now refuses to delegate to outsiders.

"I have to give Shelley and Chris a lot of credit for the month they spent with Jeanine. I didn't realize the complexity of the treatment she was going through and how important it is to be on top of it in order to get maximum benefit," Duncan said. "I saw the importance of paying attention to the utmost degree. I realized it was more than just sitting around communicating and holding hands. There's a lot involved. I want to make sure she's doing so well that nothing changes."

Duncan last month indicated his misgivings about returning to general manager John Mozeliak and manager Mike Matheny, who in turn told Lilliquist that a change in responsibilities might await. It wasn't until late Thursday that Matheny began notifying the rest of the coaching staff of the decision.

Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. agreed to assume the entirety of Duncan's salary for the upcoming season. Including bonuses, Duncan earned about $1 million in 2011, making him the game's highest-paid coach.

"I'm fortunate Bill DeWitt understood the situation and really made it easier for me to make the decision," Duncan said.

Duncan, 66, leaves a legacy of success with the franchise that included a National ERA title in 2005 one year after the staff came within one out of winning another. He supervised Chris Carpenter's ascent from an injured American League discard to the 2005 NL Cy Young Award and recognition as one of the league's most dominant talents. Others, such as Woody Williams, Jeff Suppan, Joel Piñeiro and Kyle Lohse, arrived as second-tier arms only to reach significant paydays following exposure to Duncan's sinker-intensive philosophy.

The 2002 team that was stunned by the death of pitcher Darryl Kile employed 14 starting pitchers, eight of whom made at least 10 starts, yet still won 97 games to capture the NL Central while crafting a 3.70 ERA.

Most recently, Duncan and La Russa conspired on a modified rotation that became the centerpiece of the club's 23-9 rush to the postseason. While Carpenter, Edwin Jackson and Jake Westbrook pitched every fifth day, Lohse and Jaime Garcia often started on extra rest. More aggressive use of a renovated bullpen also proved essential.

La Russa often referred to Duncan as "the perfect pitching coach" and insisted he had no weaknesses. Duncan's extensive record-keeping, which goes with him, represented something of a pitching Bible.

"I've been very fortunate coaching 16 years for the Cardinals," Duncan noted. "It's been an unbelievable organization to work for in the time I've been there. It's been an organization that has bent over backwards to put a winning team on the field. We've had a lot of success."

Duncan hopes to speak with a number of his former pitchers in upcoming days. He will continue to follow them, he says, but intends to maintain a distance all season. He emphasized to Mozeliak that he remained available via cell phone.

"With anything they're doing, I do want them to know I'm here," Duncan said. "If they have any reason to call me they're free to do that. But I want to make sure it's something that they invite and is not an interference."