Comments on: What in the hell was Tony La Russa thinking last night?

By: bdawk20

bdawk20 — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:33:15 +0000

Maybe he should be suited for MUI (Managing Under the Influence)

By: macjacmccoy

macjacmccoy — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 02:04:21 +0000

I dont agree. Would you say if Pujos gets hurt the Cardinals chances of winning a world series goes way down? I would I think it would hurt the team a lot more then giving up a 2 run shot in a tie game to Prince Fielder.

So if La Russa sends a message to opposing teams by letting them know if Pujos gets hit with a pitch that they deem was dangerous to his health that your best players health is going to be risked too and ifthat makes those teams pitch more carefully to Pujos and in return lows his risk of getting injured then I see it as a good strategic move. While also keeping in lines with the unwritten rules of the game and playing it the right way.

By: danberman4

danberman4 — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 01:24:08 +0000

La Russa is arrogant and thinks he invented baseball. Now, Yadier Molina feels the same way. The Cards are so easy to hate.
http://pinetarandbrickbats.blogspot.com/2011/08/cardinals-easy-to-hate.html

By: mojosmagic

mojosmagic — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:33:30 +0000

I am so sick of LaRuso and his inflated ego it isn’t even funny. Mr. Baseball thinks he is better then everyone else and in reality most of his stupid moves backfire.

By: crefan

crefan — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 22:58:56 +0000

Especially when you pound down a quart of gin before a game ala Jimmy Dugan.

By: mightywu

mightywu — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 19:47:51 +0000

Good lord Calcaterra, you’re like 17 year old with the drama you displayed in this laughable piece.

Get a grip man.

By: jimbo1949

jimbo1949 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:12:52 +0000

Some, like Dave Duncan, have two: his own and the one usually standing next to him.

By: cintiphil

cintiphil — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:11:00 +0000

Well, cards fan, I have to agree with your points after reading Miklasz. it seems that there is more to the story (usually is) than first spoken. I didn’t know about the bad call on Monday night or the big argument with Molina. Miklasz makes sense, but of course the brewer fans do not agree. Yes, I agree that two pitches to hit a batter is too much also. But prince got it right with the press. We got the message, move on to Wed..

By: caland13

caland13 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:18:59 +0000

A lot of pitches got away last night, even after the theatrics. it was 100 degrees out, and when pitchers sweat a lot, more pitches get up in the zone. And, people have been plunked in retaliation in this game for a long time, LaRussa didn’t just make this up. It’s not like they hit just anyone, they hit Pujols. In the hand. Up by his head. So, Braun got one in the back. This is only a story, really, if the Cards lose, because it probably wasn’t the best time to do it. Otherwise, that’s just baseball, Mang.

By: astrozac

astrozac — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:17:07 +0000

Hey, these guys don’t play for New York or Boston(yet anyway), so the MLB offices won’t care…
I think LaRussa’s overmanaging leads to several losses throughout the year(playing percentages, not sacrificing over, the lefty/right matchup vs. whose hitting). Didn’t see the game til later innings, but seems like a dumb move to me.
But, I wish they would stop the ejections and warning for hitting people, that’s more juvenile and controversy than the actual act and retaliations. Having said that though Carlos Guillen should have been/b plunked the next opportunity he gets by the Angels

By: cintiphil

cintiphil — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:15:13 +0000

Well, that may be an argument for saying he intentionally hit him. Then maybe he was trying to hit Braun. How many times did Saito come inside to Albert? Was he really trying to hit him, if he brushed him back two or three times? And, if he was aiming for his hand where he had a broken bone, was he trying to put him out for the year? Sounds like good ole fashion baseball to me. We don’t know the answers to any of this. It is fun to speculate. I wished I saw the game. I was watching Reds vs Astros.

By: The Common Man

The Common Man — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:41:16 +0000

“I love that players are passionate enough about the game to argue a questionable call, or get aggressive on the mound or on the bases. The players and managers who do this make baseball fun to watch.”

If that’s what you want to see, you might as well watch professional wrestling. You get much more posturing and yelling and aggressiveness there than you’d ever get in a baseball game.

If you’re interested in the danger of it all, we might as well get rid of batting helmets and catchers masks. Saying that pitchers should not be throwing at batters is not the same as saying they shouldn’t pitch inside, nor that players shouldn’t play the game hard. But they shouldn’t play the game trying to deliberately injure the other team.

By: Nick C

Nick C — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:15:58 +0000

And the Brewers threw more than 1 pitch that “got away” up and in to Albert. I count 3 fastballs in 2 games that Albert was forced to duck his head to avoid being hit in the melon. Pitching in is ok. Pitching up and in is dangerous especially if you have crappy control.

By: Nick C

Nick C — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:12:56 +0000

The Brewers were deliberately throwing UP and IN. Continually throwing in that area will likely lead to a hitter getting hit in either the head or hand because most pitchers do not have enough control to avoid having one “get away.” 3 times in 2 games Pujols was forced to duck his HEAD out of the way of a fastball. The Brewers may not have been deliberately throwing at Pujols head but pitches sailing out of control at his head are the inevitable result of a pattern and strategy of pitching both IN and UP. If the pitchers cannot control their pitches enough then they should not be pitching UP there (I have no problem with IN) or they should accept that their hitters are going to get thrown at in retaliation when their pitches sail out of control in dangerous areas.

By: Alex K

Alex K — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:05:33 +0000

They threw more than one pitch at Braun. They just missed with the first one.

By: Alex K

Alex K — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:02:42 +0000

You think that pitch was thrown at Albert’s head? May I please have some of whatever you’re taking? The pitch clearly missed it’s spot, but that spot wasn’t anyone’s head.

By: The Common Man

The Common Man — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:59:13 +0000

Again, I disagree with your interpretation of “thrown at”.

By: cintiphil

cintiphil — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:59:05 +0000

I am not a cards fan, and I say that the pitching can be used as a message on both sides. I did not see the game last night. However, it seems that reading the reports, the Brewers pitchers kept pitching Albert in until one of them plunked him on the wrist. Does that sound right? The only thing I can add is that if a pitcher does not know how to pitch inside without hitting a batter, then he should not pitch inside. Stay off the plate, or go into the dirt etc. I don’t know much about this pitcher, except we saw him in Cinti, and not too impressed. If the next cardinal pitcher wanted to send a message, then he might throw close to the next brewer batter. That is the game. I don’t know that anyone admitted throwing purposely at anyone. Today it is a no no to hit anyone on purpose. That is understood. You can look at the situation from both sides, but if I was a cardinal pitcher and some guy hit my star player who is just getting over an injury, I would throw at their star’s next batter and hope he gets out of the way. If not, message sent. That is the game and the way it should be played at this level. Of course I did not see the game, I am speaking about a general situation.

By: jlgroves1

jlgroves1 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:57:52 +0000

In a word, yes, you do accept the risk, every time you step out of the house, that something bad will happen, its a matter of probability. Of course a person is responsible for their own actions but you are also responsible for assessing the risk of a given situation. I love that players are passionate enough about the game to argue a questionable call, or get aggressive on the mound or on the bases. The players and managers who do this make baseball fun to watch. I am a Cardinal Cultist, I will not argue that, but above all I am a BASEBALL fan. I love that Saito was passionate enough to challenge Albert at the plate, I love that players are still willing to clear the benches and support their teammates even if they dont necessarily agree with their friend. People sometimes get hurt, dont try to cultivate a crop of baseball wusses, accept that bad things can happen and man-up and play the game. Strategy is important but passion for the game is just as important. 40,000 people aren’t going to ballparks to watch a chess match, they want to see baseball.

By: Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward

Mr. Jason "El Bravo" Heyward — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:54:58 +0000

I disagree and as keeper of said list, it shall not be done until TLR does something that I find truly douchenozzle worthy. Driving drunk would do it, but that didn’t occur in 2011, which is one of the list’s many criteria.

By: Nick C

Nick C — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:52:56 +0000

Headhunting implies going for the head. Braun was hit in the back. It is Pujols who’s had his head thrown at.

By: Craig Calcaterra

Craig Calcaterra — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:49:36 +0000

So your argument is that it is more likely that Saito was trying injure or kill Albert Pujols than it was that the ball got away from him while he was trying to work inside?

OK. You go with that. And then criticize me for making crazy assumptions.

By: PanchoHerreraFanClub

PanchoHerreraFanClub — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:47:06 +0000

Craig, you have now added mind reading to your skills. You say it makes no sense to throw at Pujols in that situation. Let’s see, you throw at Pujols and knock him out for the season and that hurts the Brewers how? Better still you end his career after all Albert isn’t going to be in a Brewer uniform in the foreseeable future.

Craig, I’m guessing stopped practicing law because of arguments like this. Simply saying it makes no sense the defendant committed the crime doesn’t often win a jury over when the physical evidence says otherwise. Takashi Saito was throwing at Pujols head. Watch the video. If you believe the pitch just got away, can I interest you in a bridge that goes to Brooklyn. I can sell it to you for a song. It is all kinds of wrong to intentionally throw at a batter’s head as the Brewers did. The Brewers are under all kinds of pressure to make the playoffs this year. Getting rid of Pujols would help them reach that goal.

By: The Common Man

The Common Man — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:37:52 +0000

I could get behind this argument, except for the fact that the Cardinals were deliberately trying to hit Braun. You want to pitch the Brewers inside all series, I’ve got no problem with that. I have a huge problem with headhunting.

By: Nick C

Nick C — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:32:24 +0000

I am a Cardinals fan who frequently disagrees with TLR. In fact, I think his in-game managing has been dreadful for the last 2 years. On this occasion though I think TLR is absolutely correct. The Brewers clearly decided to pitch Albert both IN and UP with FASTBALLS. That is dangerous. Albert was forced to duck out of the way of fastballs 3 times in 2 games. All of which would have hit his head if he hadn’t. Braun deserved to be hit. Fielder understood it. Bernie Miklasz sums it up well in this article:

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/article_305741b0-bdd7-11e0-9f48-001a4bcf6878.html

I’m not saying the Brewers don’t have a right to pitch Pujols inside. All I’m saying is that if you are going to pitch IN and UP with fastballs and they get away from the pitcher to the point where they are sailing at players’ heads then you better be prepared for retaliation. I understand that Saito would not intentionally hit Pujols in that game situation. It is the PATTERN that is being retaliated against not the single instance.

By: bloodysock

bloodysock — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:27:08 +0000

That was a different situation. Warnings were issued to both benches in that game after prior plunkings and HBP in the two preceeding games on both sides. Showalter then ordered another plunking and he was tossed.

By: cur68

cur68 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:20:33 +0000

Dude, I grew up around drunks. I don’t want to watch any more of them. Watching some kid get his livelihood ended with a ball to the head or a bone damaged is not something I want to see either. I couldn’t disagree with you more. I do NOT miss the “old days”. Not even a little. La Russa should get a game or 2 for those moves and he deserves to have lost last night, too.

By: The Common Man

The Common Man — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:19:34 +0000

That’s the stupidest argument I’ve yet to hear. If I drive on a road, should I accept the risk that a drunk driver is going to drive down the wrong side of the highway at 80 mph and slam into me? Isn’t that driver responsible for the decisions he made that led to my probably death or disfigurement?

The same principle applies. Yes, there are risks to hitting. But those risks are dramatically increased when some a-hole manager orders his pitcher, or the pitcher decides on his own to deliberately throw at or around the head of a batter. That’s how careers and lives can be altered dramatically. It’s wronga nd it should stop.

Stop apologizing for LaRussa, you absolutely blindly devotional acolyte. You’re so wrapped up in the cult of the Cardinals and LaRussa that you should shave your head and wear a white robe. Motte threw inside on the previous two pitches as well. The Cardinals were not going to stop until Braun was hit, regardless of how “agile” you think he should be.

By: umrguy42

umrguy42 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:13:21 +0000

No worries, falcon. I’d wanted to clarify my original post anyway.

By: jlgroves1

jlgroves1 — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:09:38 +0000

I’ve read three other articles from the this author either bashing the Cards (indirectly through LaRussa) or touting higher punishment for pitchers throwing at batters. Bottom line, if you stand in the batter’s box you have acknowledged that you may be hit anywhere on your body with an object travelling up to 102 mph and you have accepted that the risk of injury is small enough to warrant playing the game anyway. Intentional hits are a good way to keep teams or players in line. Yes, its dangerous, yes, it may seem barbaric to those of you who fear physical contact or want baseball to enter into some new era of non-contact, fuzzy, over-protected crap. The fact remains that baseball can be a dangerous sport and that adds to the excitement of watching and playing the game. I think that any manager who feels that one of his players has been targeted would send the same message back to the opposing team. TLR said that the pitch inside was intentional not the hit on Braun’s back. If Braun were a little more agile (as TLR probably thought he was being that he is an excellent player) he might have gotten out of the way and the message would have gotten across without putting him on base; that’s probably what the hell LaRussa was thinking.