This weekend anonymous sources from inside the Cardinals dugout told Joe Strauss of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH about a blowup between Tony La Russa and Albert Pujols
First baseman Albert Pujols and manager Tony La Russa on Saturday played down a heated exchange between the two after Pujols was left standing at the plate Friday on right fielder Ryan Ludwick’s unsuccessful steal attempt.
The three-time NL Most Valuable Player became visibly irritated when, with the Cardinals leading the Los Angeles Angels by four runs, Ludwick became the eighth inning’s final out. Pujols flipped his bat and helmet as he returned to the dugout then smacked two trays of gum from a bench against the Cardinals dugout wall.
La Russa reprimanded Pujols, saying, “That’s enough.”
Pujols responded and, according to eyewitnesses, the exchange escalated with La Russa telling Pujols at one point, “I (expletive) know how to manage.”
Friday’s display suggested impatience with a manager willing to open first base with him at the plate.
La Russa and Pujols predictably downplayed the incident to Strauss, which had La Russa steamed when meeting with the press on Friday night.
More interesting than the incident itself is who sold out La Russa from inside the Cardinals dugout. Strauss was able to glean from anon sources exactly what the manager said but provided no details on what Pujols “responded” with.
Strauss reported on his Twitter account Friday that Ludwick’s steal attempt, which came with Pujols at the plate and the Cardinals leading 9-5 in the bottom of the eighth inning was ordered by La Russa. After Friday’s caught stealing, Ludwick has yet to steal a base this season though he’s been caught trying three times.
If you think that’s over-managing, consider Saturday’s game.
LaRussa pulled Pujols in the ninth inning with the Cardinals down 10-4.
Thanks to three Cards hits and two Angels errors in the bottom of the inning, Jon Jay - batting in Pujols’ spot in the lineup - batted as the tying run with two outs.
Jay struck out to end the game.
With that kind of unbelievably appalling treatment of baseball’s best player by La Russa, I can’t blame Pujols for his outburst. From Strauss’ anonymously-sourced report, apparently nor can Pujols’ teammates.
7:54 pm on May 23rd, 2010
they won today
9:45 pm on May 23rd, 2010
If La Russa ordered a steal while up 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th, then he’s a total douche.
If he pulled Pujols down by 6 in the 9th, you can justify it as being a bad call, but there was no guarantee that Pujols was going to deliver a hit in that spot. You do what the boss says when you’re paid a gazillion dollars a year to play a game the rest of us love more than he does.
9:52 pm on May 23rd, 2010
Larussa is a hack. If he doesn’t manage teams with the Bash Brothers and Pujols, he’s nobody.
10:41 pm on May 23rd, 2010
Not surprised at Tony’s overmanaging; he thinks he invented the game of baseball.
Said it here at SbB before - Larussa is a terd, almost as big a one as Lasorda.
12:01 am on May 24th, 2010
You left out the part about how Strauss also said that sources told him this wasn’t the first time and it was not a big deal.
Sorry it was a slow news day, Brooks, but really?
1:54 am on May 24th, 2010
Is La Russa drinking again ?
9:26 am on May 24th, 2010
Most over overrated manager in sports. He makes moves during the game just for the sake up doing it. He basically makes moves to entertain himself. I am also i die hard Card fan. Wish he would go to the White Sox after the year. He thinks he is doing card fans a favor by coming back but he just hinders the team with his dumb moves.
11:32 am on May 24th, 2010
He’s way overrated as an MLB manager.
LAA gave STL the game yesterday, and WTF is up with pinch hitting for a pitcher with a pitcher?
4:13 pm on May 24th, 2010
Yeah, pretty stupid moves, but we get them up here in Minneapolis too! Gardy sends Thome to the plate in the ninth with 2 outs and first base open and light hitting Punto to “protect” him. Of course he gets walked and then Gardy burns another sub by putting in Harris to run instead of having Harris available to hit.
Managers make you crazy sometimes…but guess what Mr Pujols, he’s still your boss!
7:12 pm on May 24th, 2010
I prefer ‘turd’.
6:15 am on May 25th, 2010
I don’t know, my boss gets paid more than me. Hard to respect a boss you get paid more than because cash makes it clear who is more important. I mean, if Pujols said, “Fire Tony and I’ll sign here in St. Louis” Tony would be fired.
12:27 pm on May 25th, 2010
He has been caught 3 times this year already using every player he has and had to bat a pitcher with runners in scoring position. I have never thought he was a good manager! He outsmarts himself. Go ahead abd PPPPP Albert off, his contract is up next year and he WILL WALK because of a stupid manager!
12:45 pm on May 25th, 2010
I watch a lot of baseball, and LaRussa is by far the worst manager I’ve seen in a long time. I can sure understand Pujols frustation. 1- The Cards are far superior than almost all NL teams, They have the best player in baseball and probably the best 1-2 punch, yet they don’t have nearly the best record. They should be blowing the NL Central. 2- LaRussa plays the pitcher at the 8th spot. If he uses Math is easy to understand that the 8th batter will bat more times than the 9th batter during the course of the season. THus, there’s no sense in using that so-called “9th batter strategy”. 3- Besides using Pujols and Holliday in the 3-4 he shuffles the line-up so bad, that I do believe there is no consistency or identity in the team. Are they a Power hitting team? Do they run the bases? Are they a contact hitting team? If not for the Starting Pitching they might be in the bottom of the NL central standings. I understand that as a Manager you want everybody to be fresh, but can anybody tell me who is the Cards starting 3B? who is the SS? who is the 2B? I understand match-ups, but this is getting ridiculous. 4- “Over-managing” is the right word to describe and remember LaRussa. There are so many instances where he can just let the guys play and no, his ego is so big that he has to make a move almost every time just for the sake of making a move, and then it drives me crazy when there are situations where he does need to make a move and he lets a reliever bat late in a game with a 1 run advantage and men in scoring position. I’m glad LaRussa’s strategies are finally being questioned. Just because he’s won a couple of world series it doesn’t make him untouchable. Just ask Ozzie Smith what he thinks of him.
4:21 pm on May 25th, 2010
Go Birds
10:07 pm on May 27th, 2010
La Russo needs to clean up his language. He is dealing with a latino who loves the game. Doing what he (LaRusso) did really was insulting to Pujols. Maybe it is time for the manager to hang up his cleats.
6:29 pm on August 6th, 2010
@ Bunny: totally agree. Do you remember how I annihilated Tony in the 2000 NLCS with Todd Zeile at First and Jay Payton, Timo Perez and Benny Agbayani in the Outfield.
10:56 pm on August 12th, 2010
LaRussa…what a joke. Pretends to know what’s going on at the other side of the field and on the opponents minds, but insists that he did not know what was going on in his own clubhouse(s). STEROIDS.
10:59 pm on August 12th, 2010
BTW…I’m a fan of Canseco/McGwire.
8:57 am on September 18th, 2010
“Overmanaging” is the correct term in my view. Rarely have I been overly impressed. I don’t think LaRussa is bad, but I certainly don’t think he is great.