Tony LaRussa On His Return To The Cardinals Bench And The Hiring Mark McGwire
October 27, 2009 – 5:30 am by Michael Bean
Last Monday, Tony LaRussa decided to return for his 15th season as the St. Louis Cardinals manager. In his first 14 seasons in St. Louis, LaRussa guided the Cardinals to the playoffs in All of LaRussa’s coaching staff will also return. All that is but Hal McRae, the team’s batting coach that was fired following St. Louis’ offensive meltdown in this year’s playoffs. His replacement? Mark McGwire, the embattled slugger who has been incognito in recent years since allegations of his steroid use surfaced earlier this decade.
It’s an interesting hire by LaRussa, who as you’ll hear, is as big a McGwire fan there is. But it’s not a ceremonial hire by LaRussa either. He thinks Big Mac will be immensely popular with the Cards’ clubhouse and is confident the former slugger will put in the work necessary to be a great asset to the Cardinals organization. LaRussa joined ESPN Radio 101 in St. Louis to talk about those subjects as well as how he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to manage a great organization like the Cardinals and about what advice he’d give McGwire concerning how to handle the imminent barrage of questions about his steroid use from the media.
On how close he was to deciding not to return to the Cardinals:
“You know Bernie (Miklasz, the radio host), the big thing, you get so engrossed in trying to get to the finish line then trying to advance in the playoffs that you really don’t think about anything else. We challenge ourselves as a staff to do that. Then the ending – that terrible loss that last day, we were not as competitive. So I had to get home and really get away from it. And then you start putting things in perspective and I like where I sit in the sense that it’s really about being selfish. This is such a good situation – the fans, the organization, the players are great to be around. So I thought man, selfishly whoever walks in here is going to have a great time. So hell, I want it to be me. So as soon as I got away, the bug started to bite and it was just a matter of time.”
On how concerned he is about the possibility of there being a huge distraction surrounding newly named hitting coach Mark McGwire:
“Yeah, you’ve got to be concerned because sometimes the way you prepare is you prepare for the worst and you hope for the best. So I think Mark’s going to be a huge hit with our team. And so they’re going to care very much that he gets treated fairly because they’re going to like what he says and are going to want him not to be distracted or interfered with. So I think there’s going to be that kind of concern. I think for Mark to accept this – and John Rooney said it and I agree – one of the messages that should come out, not just for our fans, but for all fans is, obviously this guy has a love for the game and a desire to teach it to put himself in this position. So, I’m sure he understands he’s going to have to answer some questions. I think once he does that though, we really need him to concentrate on what he’s being hired to do which is coach our hitters. I just don’t think once we get in to the season anytime someone says hey I’m going to touch this one up again, well you had your chance. And when you have your chance, ask whatever you want to ask and see what he answers, and then we turn the page.”
On if he would advise McGwire to just be forthcoming about the past in an attempt to get it all put behind him sooner rather than later:
“My advice to McGwire is he’s a grown man, he’s been living with this thing, he knows how he wants to handle it, and just honestly to take his best shot at explaining where he is, what he did, what he has to do. That’s what I would tell him to do. I think by coming back – the reason to bring him back is I think he’s got something great to do for our hitters. But I’m also hoping because I’m a big McGwire fan, you know how I’ve been consistently bragging and defending him since I watched him work all those years. So I know in my heart that the product of his greatness was hard work and making his talent something special. So I’m hoping this a step back where people can see how special he was and regain his stature. So it’s up to him once he gets that opportunity to move the process in that direction.”
Listen here to LaRussa with Bernie Miklasz on 101 ESPN Radio St. Louis
Tags: ESPN Radio St. Louis, Mark McGwire and steroids, Mark McGwire hired as batting coach of Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals, Tony LaRussa returns to Cardinals
