Good morning/afternoon...
Here's my instant reaction to the big news of the day ...
Tony La Russa goes out as a winner. The decision makes sense, but TLR's largely unexpected retirement still comes as a surprise, only because he's been such a fixture for so long. It's hard to imagine not seeing La Russa in the corner of the Cardinals' dugout, smoldering with intensity as he monitors every pitch. He's been such an institution for the last 16 seasons, it's hard to imagine what the future will be like without him.
La Russa is one of the greatest managers in baseball history. He's No. 3 on the all-time wins list. He's one of only two managers (along with Sparky Anderson) to win a World Series in each league. He's one of only nine managers to win at least three World Series.
La Russa has the most wins in St. Louis franchise history, and on Friday joined Billy Southworth as the only Cardinals manager to win two World Series championships.
And a strong case can be made that La Russa is the greatest manager in franchise history.
During La Russa's 16 seasons as the STL manager, the Cardinals made the playoffs nine times, winning three NL pennants and two World Series. The three pennants were the most by a National League team over the last 16 years. The Cardinals' 50 postseason wins over the last 16 years are the most in the NL, and only second to the NY Yankees in the majors. Their 12 postseason series wins are No. 1 in the NL over the last 16 years, and No. 2 in the majors to the Yankees. Moreover, the Cardinals ranked second in the NL and fourth in the majors in regular-season wins over the last 16 seasons.
La Russa led the Cardinals to one of their greatest eras, and that's quite the compliment when we talk about a franchise that ranks only second to the Yankees in the number of World Series won. Replacing him won't be easy. It's difficult to find a manager who can handle the strain of this job for 16 seasons, let alone one who can produce a consistent winner over a 16-year period. La Russa's leadership was the foundation of the team's approach and succeess.
So why did La Russa decide to retire now?
* La Russa is 67 years old. For the last two or three seasons he's said that he tires more easily. The job was wearing him down. Obviously, he still has plenty of energy. But in modern times, when managers burn out after staying six or seven seasons, La Russa's staying power was remarkable. But no one can last forever. And La Russa's self-awareness kicked in here. He has nothing to prove. He had to deal with a serious illness this season. I don't think La Russa would ever want to manage a team, and be in charge of its fate, knowing that he couldn't be at his best. And TLR had a so-called senior moment in Game 5 of the World Series. La Russa isn't a hanging-on type of personality.
To use one of his favorite expressions: La Russa took his best shot for 16 seasons in St. Louis, and 33 years in the majors. And if, for any reason, La Russa reached the conclusion that he no longer could do that, take his best shot, he simply would not cheat himself or his players. I can't believe that La Russa was able to maintain his extreme intensity over 33 seasons, playing at least 162 games a year. It's amazing that he lasted this long. At some point, the flame would flicker. And La Russa wasn't about to stay on this job if he thought there was a chance of the flame going out.
* Though La Russa didn't really confirm this during his news conference, the idea of going out as a world champion just had to reinforce his thought that this is an appropriate time to make his graceful exit.
* Some are attempting to tie La Russa's leaving to Albert Pujols' free-agent status, which is a stretch. With or without Pujols, the Cardinals should be a contender in 2012. Adam Wainwright returns to the rotation, and much of the rotation, bullpen and lineup is set. Pujols would make any man a better manager, including La Russa. With La Russa as manager, the Cardinals had a .512 winning percentage, pre-Pujols. The winning percentage was .558 with Pujols. But it's not as if La Russa was helpless without Pujols. Two of his Cardinals teams (1996, 2000) qualified for the postseason before Pujols ascended to the majors in 2001. La Russa won 953 regular-season games with Pujols, meaning that he's also won 1,775 regular-season games in his career without Pujols.
Other fans and media are jumping to conclusions about what La Russa's retirement means for Pujols' free-agent decision. It's being suggested that La Russa's retirement will give Pujols less reason to return here, because they have such a close relationship. But Pujols will be signing a long-term deal. It could run anywhere from six to 10 seasons. La Russa, at most, was only going to manage another year or two. So why would Pujols make his decision based on La Russa's status? Even if TLR and Pujols both decided to stay in St. Louis, the manager and first basemen weren't going to be together much longer.
OK, so what will the Cardinals do to replace La Russa?
You'll see a lot of lists in the coming days. I have a few thoughts, so in no particular order ...
-- Terry Francona. An obvious choice, unless he wants to take a year off. Make the phone call.
-- Promote from within and go with Jose Oquendo or Joe Pettini
-- Jim Riggleman has strong ties to the Cardinals' organization from his time here as a coach for Whitey Herzog, the director of the farm system, and as a minor-league instructor and quality-control supervisor. Riggleman was a student of the late, great Cardinals' legend George Kissell and has many friends in high places at Busch Stadium.
-- See if Joe Maddon wants the job, but he's under contract at Tampa Bay and the Cardinals would have to get permission to talk to him. I have no idea if the Rays would be inclined to do that.
-- Atlanta Braves coach Terry Pendleton.
Again, this is not meant to be a definitive list.
These are just some quick-take thoughts.
The new manager will inherit a lot of talent and a good situation. The new manager will be joining one of the most prestigious franchises in professional sports. He'll walk into a stadium filled with passionate fans. He'll have a competitive, $100 million payroll to work with. He'll have a good GM and committed ownership. This job has so many pluses.
The new manager will also inherit TLR's legacy, and it will take a strong, confident and secure personality to be able to handle that.
Get ready for life without Don Tony.
It won't be the same.
Thanks for reading ...
-Bernie
