Cardinals manager Tony La Russa has never been reluctant to try something out of the ordinary, even if he knows he'll draw criticism for his actions.

La Russa will plant his flag over something relatively insignificant, like batting the pitcher eighth. Or TLR will take a stand and put his reputation on the line over something far more dramatic, such as bringing Mark McGwire out of a self-imposed exile to serve as the Cardinals' new hitting coach.

The decision to invite McGwire to return to the Cardinals and major league baseball was a La Russa move, all the way. Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and general manager John Mozeliak deferred to their manager.

And in doing so, management confirmed an obvious reality: La Russa's power within the organization has never been stronger.

It was La Russa who initiated lengthy discussions with McGwire about making the comeback. It was La Russa who made it clear to McGwire that McGwire must face the media and answer questions about the past. And it was La Russa — satisfied that McGwire will respond appropriately — who made the call to add Big Mac to the staff.

This is a gamble for La Russa on two fronts. What if McGwire flops as a hitting coach? And what if McGwire fails to adequately address a personal history tainted by accusations of steroid use?

"Any questions about should Mark have been hired are on me," La Russa said in a phone conversation Friday. "And if it turns out that it wasn't a good hire, or somebody questions the due diligence done before the hire, it isn't on Bill or Mo. Because they took me on my word that this would work. And their due diligence was trusting me, which I really appreciated. I think they should have. I would have been really disappointed if they hadn't."

La Russa is upset by criticism leveled at DeWitt and Mozeliak, specifically the opinion that they should have vetted McGwire during the hiring process. Well, La Russa did that himself. He was a one-man search committee.

Though La Russa declined to offer specifics, he assures us that McGwire will emerge from the shadows to take questions. Plans to do so are on hold because Major League Baseball asked the Cardinals to wait until after the World Series.

In speaking with La Russa, I came away with the distinct impression that he's confident in McGwire's plans to deal with the controversy.

"We've talked," La Russa said. "Do I know how exactly how all of this is going to come out and how he's going to respond? I don't know exactly. But I know what I believe and I know what our conversations are. So if it works, we'll all benefit, and if for some reason it's not adequate or doesn't work, then the blame should go to me. It shouldn't go to anybody else.

"I really believe in Mark, or otherwise I wouldn't have used up whatever points I have with Mr. DeWitt and Mr. Mozeliak. I believe that when Mark presents himself to the media, it will work, and then he can go about being a really terrific asset to the Cardinals."

Because of the steroid issue, McGwire and a résumé that includes 583 career home runs have been overwhelmingly rejected by Hall of Fame voters. But La Russa contests the theory that he made the hire to rehabilitate McGwire's image.

"Wrong," La Russa said. "My first obligation, my first responsibility is to the St. Louis Cardinals. And I think Mark is going to be a hellacious hitting coach. I think it's really good for him to get back in the game. But I wouldn't have made this hire unless I thought he'd be a great hitting coach."

McGwire's reentry is the latest example of La Russa's considerable clout within the franchise.

A little more than two years ago, La Russa was viewed as weakened by a shifting organizational philosophy symbolized by the emergence of Jeff Luhnow, the team's VP of player development.

When La Russa's ally, Walt Jocketty, was fired as GM by DeWitt in October 2007, the move was interpreted as a sign of La Russa's diminished influence. Luhnow was personally chosen by DeWitt to take on a bigger role, and that couldn't be a positive development for La Russa.

Not so. La Russa has signed two contract extensions since Jocketty's dismissal, and the Cardinals returned to the top of the NL Central in 2009.

And several of Luhnow's best prospects were traded in risky acquisitions for pending free agents Matt Holliday and Mark DeRosa in time for the 2009 stretch run.

And then there's La Russa's longtime baseball partner, pitching coach Dave Duncan. Remember, Duncan threatened to leave after the 2009 season — in part because he resented Luhnow's influence over the way young pitchers are being taught in the minors. Duncan aired his grievances during a meeting with Mozeliak and obviously liked what he heard from the GM. Duncan is returning with La Russa for 2010.

And now McGwire is on the way, heeding the surprising call to join La Russa.

Two years ago, after a tumultuous organizational shake-up, it was legitimate to wonder about the potency of La Russa's power within the franchise. That's no longer in question. DeWitt and Mozeliak clearly believe in their manager.