La Russa v. Cox
« LaRussa Goes Crazy, Lets Molina Swing Away | Main | Holy Cow! »I'm a Cardinals fan, so naturally my idea of what's important in the world don't always match the general public's, but shouldn't the little brouhaha last night be a bigger story? You have two 2,000-win managers squaring off, something that hasn't happened since 1950 or so, and one says the following of the other:
"One month (into the season) and he's moaning about one strike," La Russa said of Cox. "They're a classy organization but that's the one exception. They ... moan about everything if they don't get a pitch. They beat the umpires down. There's no doubt in my mind. Maybe that's their strategy. It's not to be admired. It's not to be copied."
That's not a real nice thing to say. Would this be getting a little more air if one of the teams involved was the Red Sox?
Posted by Rob at May 1, 2005 12:16 PMYeah, if the "Sawx" were involved, I'm sure it would get more play, but I'd prefer if LaRussa didn't say things like this. Evem though he's criticizing Bobby Cox, it's also a jab at the umps, that they're letting themselves be influenced by the Braves. This isn't the NBA playoffs, where complaining about poor officiating after one game gets all the calls going your way the next. Umpires seem to take this stuff personally, and it just seems like they're more likely to do things that will intentionally anger you the next day. Tony should have applied that "gag order" to himself as well as the team.
Posted by: CalvinPitt at May 1, 2005 12:42 PMMore of an indirect jab at the Umps probably. Home plate ump needs to be reviewed for his performance last night. He essentially took the game out of the hands of the players.
Posted by: Will at May 1, 2005 01:53 PMThe most obscene thing about last night's strike zone was, after failing to call either strike three pitch over the outside corner on Mondesi, Dale Scott called a first-pitch strike in the 9th on both Eckstein and Pujols on pitches further out of the zone than the Reyes pitches to Mondesi. Really just a terrible job of umpiring.
It was crushing to watch the TBS overhead angle on the 3-2 pitch to Mondesi---a gorgeous breaking ball that grazed the outer half of the plate---and then see Molina fire to third to catch Langerhans stealing for the apparent strikem-out-throwem-out DP. Except for that Scott called it ball four.
Posted by: salvo at May 1, 2005 02:13 PMThis goes beyond one night's bad umpiring though. These are probably two of the three biggest umpires in the last thirty years or so (Sparky being the third) and there's a potential feud here. I just think this should be more significant than what Curt Schilling says he heard about the manager of the Devil Rays.
Posted by: Rob at May 1, 2005 02:39 PMIt wasn't "just one pitch", it was a number of bad calls that allowed the Braves to load the bases, and one terrible call that cost us a run instead of a strike out and a tag-out at third.
Posted by: Fitz at May 2, 2005 02:28 PMby the way, in regards to that RedSox-DRays crap, aren't you glad that the Cardinals rarely engage in that childish Red Sox crap where they seem to always have to headhunt and clear the benches?
Posted by: Fitz at May 2, 2005 02:29 PMI'm sorry, i was confused. I thought Cox was bitching about LaRussa.
Posted by: fitz at May 2, 2005 02:30 PMI'm pretty sure it was Danny Ainge that bit Tree Rollins.
TSF
Posted by: TedSimmonsFan at May 3, 2005 01:57 PM