Hall of Shame more likely

fingerfood.typepad.com*

   Ya know, I really didn't have a dog in the World Series fight and yet it was one of the better ones of memory, amazingly pulled out by the St. Louis Cardinals and their brilliant manager, Tony La Russa.
   As La Russa rapidly exits stage right with his surprise retirement, nearly all sports reports consider him a certain Hall of Fame member, based on his impressive winning ways.
   But isn't that a tad premature?
   That's what was certain about Pete Rose, the game's all-time hits leader and poster boy for relentless perseverance. Then his betting addiction was revealed (now he's reviled) and even people who don't follow the sport know that there is no cheating in baseball.
   So what's the beef with Tony?
   This from CNN:
   "In the late 1980s, La Russa managed the Bash Brothers – now admitted steroid users Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco – in Oakland, and later McGwire in St. Louis, where he broke Roger Maris' season-single home run record in 1998. Despite La Russa's denials, some critics will always believe that he knew about his players' steroid use, or should have been aware of it. When La Russa hired McGwire as the St. Louis hitting coach in 2009, the move reeked of defiance."
   Hmmmm, yes, exactly how does a man who purportedly knows and handles his players like a savant NOT KNOW (or can't tell) that his star players have become so huge that they can barely fit into their uniforms?
   Another star-struck, suck-up scribbler from ESPN (or some outlet) summed up the general sentiment on La Russa:
   La Russa did something few managers have done in this game: He changed how it was played.
   Um ... yeah ... if you mean turning a blind eye while your players (on two separate teams in both leagues) obviously juiced-up during the season, yeah, that certainly is, ya know ... innovative.
   Then, how can a man held in so high regard hire an obviously guilty McGwire to be one of his coaches?
   This, from an avid observer at the blog fingerfood* last year after the announcement that McGwire would be a hitting coach, sorta:
   Not only was La Russa the manager of McGwire’s teams in Oakland and St. Louis and is set to be his boss as the ex-slugger begins a new gig as the Cardinals’ hitting coach, but also the manager has been the big guy’s staunchest defender. La Russa was so far in McGwire’s corner that even when shown evidence to the contrary, the manager refused to believe that his guy would do anything like steroids.
   In other words, unless La Russa was in the bathroom stall with Jose and Mark to see that plunger filled with those sweet, muscle-building chemicals injected into the hind parts in question, then it did not happen.
  So I felt a strong sense of disgust during the celebratory infield scrum after Game 7; there for all to see was Mark McGwire in street clothes (not wearing a uniform) hugging and squeezing the winners on the field.
   The jury is still out on the whole scandal of steroids, so much so that I do not believe you can guarantee La Russa's place in the game's history.
   Statistically, no question; but regarding integrity, big questions.
   Just ask Pete Rose.
* fingerfood content moved to johnnybaseball.blogspot.com