St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa wins in ouster of Adam Kennedy
Bernie Miklasz
Sports Columnist Bernie Miklasz
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By Bernie Miklasz
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
02/12/2009
First, manager Tony La Russa asked for an impact bat.
Request denied.
Next, La Russa wanted a veteran closer to lock down those ninth-inning leads.
Request denied.
La Russa thought it would be a smart idea to add an extra starting pitcher.
Request denied.
La Russa pushed to dump second baseman Adam Kennedy.
Request ... fulfilled?
Yes, and what a surprise. GM John Mozeliak and Chairman Bill DeWitt agreed with La Russa's motion (or emotion?) and waived Kennedy. Most shocking of all, DeWitt agreed to take Kennedy's $4 million salary and flush it away.
Giving the organization's recent obsession with budget restraint, this was a stunner. And a victory for La Russa.
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But TLR will take it as it comes. He hasn't won many of these intramural contests over the last couple of seasons.
It's been fascinating to watch La Russa and management executives circle each other, perform a ritual dance and try to co-exist in the established new world order at Busch Stadium.
In the olden days La Russa worked closely with his supreme ally, GM Walt Jocketty. Walt and Tony had the juice, and they controlled the switches. And for the most part, DeWitt went along with the master plan. It was a streamlined operation; the manager, GM and owner ran the show. Jocketty wanted to accommodate La Russa's requests when possible, and as a result Tony had as much power as any manager in baseball.
The paradigm shifted a few years ago. Jeff Luhnow, a non-baseball guy, was recruited by DeWitt to bring the newfangled statistical analysis to the organization. Luhnow brought in likeminded individuals to crunch the numbers and break away from the old-school reliance on traditional scouting. Luhnow eventually received a major promotion and was given control over the draft and player development, taking over a substantial section of Jocketty's territory and power base. Jocketty curdled. He became openly miserable and sour and was abruptly fired by DeWitt at the end of an unhappy 2007 season.
La Russa, gamely attempting to adapt to the rearranged, multi-layered structure, signed a two-year contract extension several weeks after Jocketty's dismissal. And La Russa has tried to preserve his influence in the organization's house-of-mirrors decision-making process. It's not easy for him. Luhnow clearly has DeWitt's ear, which means that the front office has essentially refused to deal their best prospects for short-term help. And remember, that was the Jocketty-La Russa formula for success.
Luhnow and Mozeliak (with the owner's blessings) are quickly moving prospects through the system. La Russa has to play the kids, like it or not. The closer's role is a prime example. After the Cardinals were (predictably) the under bidder on lefty reliever Brian Fuentes, there was no Plan B. The message was sent to the dugout: You want a closer? Well, here's Chris Perez. We drafted him No. 1 and he throws 97 mph. So use him already.
At times this has clearly been uncomfortable for La Russa, 64, who understandably wants to win as many games as he can as soon as he can. That's why La Russa has, on several occasions, publicly challenged DeWitt and Mozeliak to be more aggressive in upgrading the roster. And La Russa has repeatedly issued warnings about the potential folly of reducing the input of hardcore baseball men to go with a full-blown "Moneyball" approach — with TLR obviously directing those comments at Luhnow.
Then again, other times La Russa has been magnanimous in going with the program. Last season the Cardinals had a surprisingly solid 86-win season, in large part, because La Russa embraced change and gave meaningful playing time to younger or ascending players. The Cardinals had 11 players make their major-league debut in 2008. And La Russa seems genuinely enthusiastic about giving prospects Colby Rasmus, David Freese and any number of young second-base candidates a chance to stick and start.
Even with some of his growling and cryptic remarks, La Russa could be making things a lot rougher on the GM, the owner and Luhnow. La Russa is well aware that fans have become impatient and angry over management's increasingly conservative approach to payroll. Instead of exploiting that resentment to put more pressure on the DeWitt cabinet, La Russa has taken a more diplomatic tact. He's even repeated the company line that the franchise has taken a hit in this depressing economy.
Maybe that's one of the reasons La Russa won the Adam Kennedy debate. Maybe the front office thought it best to let him win one. And besides, there was something in it for the boys upstairs. Clearing out Kennedy only increases the likelihood of that job going to a youngster, and that suits the agenda advanced by Luhnow, DeWitt and Mozeliak.
Kennedy was just the latest challenge. And there will be more. La Russa's contract expires after the season, and I doubt he'll stay in St. Louis if he lacks sufficient authority to shape roster decisions. La Russa can't run the show — those days are gone — but he wants his opinions to matter. Does La Russa still have muscle? He'll certainly try to find out in 2009.