The explanations that Tony La Russa offered for the late-inning chaos in Game 5? The national media isn’t buying it.

In fact, some columnists wondered if La Russa was fibbing to cover up his own mismanagement of the game.

Here is how some of our favorite pundits sorted through the mess:

Jayson Stark, ESPN.com: “No matter what name Tony La Russa shouted into his handy-dandy bullpen phone Monday night, apparently, the only name the guys on the other end could hear was ‘Rzepczynski.’ Hey, that's what the man said, anyhow. So the wrong reliever wound up in the game at the wrong time, to face the wrong No. 8 hitter. And the Texas Rangers wound up stealing a 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in one of the strangest World Series games ever played. And now a Rangers team that's still lugging around the third-longest title drought in baseball (51 years) is one victory away from hopping on the parade floats. And it's all because the bullpen phone didn't work?”

Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports: “The truth about how Game 5 devolved into an all-time mismanagement of a baseball game may surface someday. It is not material now. What is, and what’s especially relevant to the 107th World Series, is that it happened, and the Texas Rangers stand one game from their first championship with two chances to win it in St. Louis after their 4-2 victory Monday. To whom it happened: That, too, is of great import. As La Russa played subterfuge artist, offering a story dotted with holes unbecoming of a man with a law degree, it was obvious that he was trying to protect someone, and he would go to such lengths only to save himself. Something jammed the St. Louis Cardinals’ machine, that chugging engine of efficiency and intellect, and La Russa couldn’t swallow the blame even though he’s its architect and supervisor. All of it was too funny to believe. The malfunctioning bullpen phone. The bullpen coach not hearing a name, then confusing the name ‘Motte’ with ‘Lynn.’ Intentional walks distributed like Halloween candy. Using the pitcher who was told before the game he wouldn’t be used. Sending a left-handed pitcher against a right-handed hitter who destroys southpaws. And everything in the same inning no less, an eighth La Russa wishes he could stick in a sepulcher and forget ever happened.”

Thomas Boswell, Washington Post: “Never say that the gods of baseball don’t have a sense of humor. And never doubt that they will pick the worst possible moment to play their malicious joke on the most appropriate victim for their tragic-comedy. The explanations that Tony La Russa offered for the late-inning chaos in Game 5? The national media isn’t buying it. No manager of his time has been smarter, more obsessed with tactics and more of a control freak than Tony La Russa. But with the World Series tied at two games apiece and Game 5 tied at 2, La Russa’s whole world of order fell apart. Then, afterwards, as he tried to explain the virtually inexplicable manner in which a series of Cardinals-La Russa screwups had led to a 4-2 Texas victory, it was virtually impossible to tell which story was true, which a friendly fib to protect someone under him and what was still just chaos in the Cardinals. And you thought the fog of war never came to the World Series. Nothing will ever top this.”

Ken Rosenthal, FoxSports.com: “In one night, the Tony La Russa Cardinals became the baseball version of the Nixon White House. Bizarre phone activity. Possible cover-ups. Everything but La Russa kneeling in front of a portrait of Connie Mack and praying as his team crumbled. I’m not about to call La Russa a liar over Bullpen-gate, because I honestly don’t know what the heck happened. All I know is that I have never heard a more mind-boggling explanation from a manager, and this one came after Game 5 of the World Series, for goodness’ sake.”

Danny Knobler, CBSSports.com: “This is the World Series, right? This is the World Series, and it's 2011. This is the World Series, and Tony La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager. Good. Just checking, because what we saw and heard from the Cardinals after their 4-2 loss to the Rangers Monday night did not scream ‘World Series.’ It sure didn't scream ‘Hall of Fame.’ Instead, it screamed, ‘Are you serious?’ Feel free to throw in the expletive of your choice. This is what La Russa and the Cardinals want you to believe: First, that the Cardinals twice had the wrong pitcher in the game in the decisive eighth inning, and that it happened because the crowd at Rangers Ballpark was so loud that bullpen coach Derek Lilliquist couldn't hear La Russa correctly on the bullpen phone -- twice. Second, that when Allen Craig was thrown out trying to steal in the seventh inning, setting up Rangers manager Ron Washington's third consecutive intentional walk of Albert Pujols, Craig was running because Pujols himself had put on a hit-and-run play, then didn't swing at Alexi Ogando's pitch because it was too far off the plate.”

Tom Verducci, SI.com: “La Russa's version of events, coupled with those of Lilliquist, only confused the matter more about how the inning got away from one of the best managers in baseball history. La Russa, who turned 67 this month, did his level best to shake off the bizarre manner in which he appeared foolish, including bringing a pitcher into the game who wasn't able to pitch. At one point La Russa, as intense a competitor as you will find, wrote off the Phonegate issue almost flippantly, saying such a gaffe ‘just happens. I mean, it's loud down there, and sometimes you call down there and you have to wait until the crowd -- and a guy gets up late. I mean, this is not unusual.’ Not unusual? This is a guy who fights for every inch of an advantage, who once complained this year about the ribbon boards in Miller Park giving the Brewers an edge because the bulbs were brighter when they were batting. Truth be told, La Russa's story included too many inconsistencies and raised too many questions to help clarify what happened in that bizarre eighth inning. Somewhere this inning got away from La Russa -- because of Phonegate or not -- and he couldn't get it back before the game was lost. What happened is too strange and unclear to completely understand. La Russa no doubt will try to explain what happened again Tuesday on the off day, but this is like trying to untangle a huge box of many strands of Christmas lights you simply chucked away last December. It's not going to be pretty.”

The Fox broadcast team figured out that Craig’s first “stolen base” attempt was a hit-and-run play put on by the players. La Russa’s dugout reaction made it pretty clear he didn’t call that one.

If La Russa made that story up, verifying the lie with the players directly involved should not be difficult.

As for the bullpen fiasco, La Russa has never been shy about switching relievers hitter to hitter. That is why everybody was shocked to see Marc Rzepczynski pitch to Mike Napoli.

If Tony really didn’t want that match-up for Scrabble, then he should have found ways to delay the game long enough to get Motte ready. Perhaps a lengthy defensive conference followed by excessive throws “to keep the runner close.”

After Napoli’s hit, Lynn came into the game – another surprise. La Russa had publicly ruled Lynn out of Game 5, so his usage there was odd.

Tipsheet figured he was just out there to kill time with that intentional walk while Motte warmed up, but it was unlike La Russa to not have Jason ready in the first place.

If Tony really made this stuff up to protect himself, we’ll know soon enough. Plenty of these journalists would love to take him down, so Tipsheet is confident they’ll dig out the truth in short order.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering if the Cardinals have one last push left in them?

Shouldn't the failed Cards hitters thank La Russa for taking all the media spotlight off them?

Wouldn’t it be fun to see how La Russa handled his pitching if he could get to Game 7?

How can you not like Rangers hurler Derek Holland?

Did at least one Rangers fan get confused as he got on the bandwagon late?

MEGAPHONE

“I can believe it, because it's been incredibly loud in this stadium. We've been to Tampa. We've been to Detroit. We've been to New York. We've been to St. Louis. We've been to San Francisco. And this is the loudest outdoor ballpark we've ever been in. They're great fans," he said. "It's a great way to go out. And hopefully they'll be this loud screaming at the TV when we're in St. Louis.”

Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler, on PhoneGate.