Comments on: Where is La Russa’s legacy being passed? – Part one

By: WestCoastbirdWatcher

WestCoastbirdWatcher — Fri, 08 May 2009 20:17:12 +0000

why would you worry about it? look at the toes, look at the hankie, look the moves. One day after the Manny 50 day? I tried. Some one else will pick it up. Believe me when I tell you Tony will have noticed.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 08 May 2009 19:30:57 +0000

Any number of MLB jobs may come open between now and October, when La Russa and Duncan can officially become free agents. Until then, I am not worrying much about it.

By: WestCoastbirdWatcher

WestCoastbirdWatcher — Fri, 08 May 2009 18:27:14 +0000

Brian, I know that you’re probably watching the goings on in Arizona. If I were in the news business, looking for national recognition, I might write up something like this.

The first hankie has been dropped, the first toes cleaved, the first step sister introduced in the Tony La Russa / Dave Duncan Glass Slipper sweep stakes, the first leg, many feel, in the Albert Pujols bidding posture extravaganza!

Man what a sentence…………. I’m serious. Run with it.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:00:10 +0000

I think that Oquendo is clearly the most likely in-house replacement for Tony. If that happens, all of a sudden we have a coaching tree! The most obvious issue is that Tony’s staff has remained remarkably stable over the years. Frankly, that is a good thing for the Cardinals, and a bad thing for a coaching legacy. Given the choice, I am going to come down on the side of what is good for the Cardinals every time. The fact that Tony has kept his staff shows that he is a good guy, I mean, I have a great boss, but my eyes are always open for a better opportunity (I guess all salesmen are whores at heart, at least this one is). Tony has kept Duncan for over 2 decades. He has to have built up strong relationships with all of his staff and, as I understand it, has been supportive of Oquendo in his job hunt and I wouldn’t be surprised if Oquendo is named assistant manager or some other silly title in a year or so to acknowledge that he is the manager in waiting. I have seen that work at my alma mater, Purdue, in both basketball and now in football, and we’ll see how that works in the NFL with Caldwell replacing Dungy this year.

Lastly, to continue the reference to other sports, stability in a coaching staff should not be underrated. David Carr had 5 different offensive coordinators in 5 years in Houston, never getting a chance to settle into a routine or consistency. Peyton Manning has had 1 offensive coordinator his entire career. Now Peyton is a better quarterback than Carr, but Carr never was given the chance to succeed. On the whole, I think the continuity in the Cardinals’ staff is a net plus and it is irrelevant whether LaRussa has created a stable of guys that worked for him and went on to be managers. I suspect that LaRussa has kept all the good ones around.

By: cardsfaninttown

cardsfaninttown — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:27:29 +0000

Speaking of others following Tony’s ideas, did I see Joe Torre bat the pitcher 8th last night with Juan Pierre in the 9 hole?

By: JumboShrimp

JumboShrimp — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:28:34 +0000

In baseball, GMs may sometimes play the role of mentors of or advocates for manager candidates.
In terms of TLR’s influence on other managers, some of his tactical innovations have been adopted by others, whether they worked for Tony or not.
In football, there may be a custom of more movement between franchises among coaches. There may be more organizational continuity/loyalty within baseball.
TLR has surrounded himself with coaches content with their roles. Fine with me. I view TLR as responsible for developing his team’s players, rather than managers for other teams.

By: WestCoastbirdWatcher

WestCoastbirdWatcher — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:04:58 +0000

Nice article Brian. I can’t help but feel that the answer to your questions are contained within it. Bill Walsh allowed certain personality types to find sanctuary in an environment that prior his influence, was far too corrosive for mild mannered intellectuals. Men not groomed in the mold of General Patton. The same might be said of Tony’s staff. They all contribute with an equal temperament. They know that the smallest gesture and vocal inflection in the fulfillment of there duties, is recognized and noted. Your last article on the removal of Boggs was a perfect example. Both Tony and Dave with their years of experience were talking in the dugout, sharing a well practiced and mutual recognition of an emotional syndrome that haunts young pitchers with Boggs physical and emotional makeup. Their action was a sign that they are functioning at a very high level, as a unit. I hoped that it would be true. I am encouraged.

By: DizzyDean17

DizzyDean17 — Fri, 08 May 2009 06:16:50 +0000

If we’re talking about legendary coaches, Bill Walsh is nothing more than an acorn under Paul Brown’s tree, as long as we’re using that story line. At the same time, I’m not comfortable comparing baseball managers to football coaches.

Tony’s job is to win games for his team, not develop potential managers. I haven’t read Rains’ book but I’ not sure it would change my opinion of his career.

His ability to keep a cadre about him that includes Duncan, McKay and Oquendo is what makes him the Fidel Castro of major league managers. I mean that in the most respectful manner.