The 1999 Cardinals spring training campaign in Jupiter, Florida, and the optimism that surrounds a Tony La Russa-managed club each spring, seemed thousands of miles removed from the sub-.500 brand of baseball that La Russa's Cardinals were putting on display during the last month of the '99 season.

And the heat was on La Russa and his boss, Walt Jocketty, in part because of La Russa's unusual refusal to sign a contract extension offered him by the Cardinals' ownership.

In an odd twist, La Russa stated that he wanted to wait until the end of the season, at which time the owners could make a better decision as to whether or not they wanted him to return as manager.

But instead of reducing the media focus on him and his job status, which, according to La Russa himself was the desired intention, his refusal to re-sign only added to speculation on all fronts, in the media as well as in the Cardinals front office.

Indeed, the Tony La Russa job saga became more than just a local sports story, as national publications contained speculation on his future time and time again.

Some reports even suggested that it was time for La Russa to retire...that the game had passed him by.

But La Russa's managerial work was also scrutinized in the St. Louis media, when Bernie Miklasz, the lead columnist for St. Louis' only daily newspaper, wrote some rather harsh commentaries that questioned, among other things, La Russa's refusal to publicly criticize his players as well as his handling of pitchers.

With only one newspaper in town (unlike his Chicago training ground), La Russa, in an unstated way, seemed to communicate to yours truly a certain frustration that resulted from his inability to get "his" message out.

The following questions were posed (and answered) during third wave post-game interview sessions with La Russa in St. Louis, Milwaukee, and Cincinnati, during the month of September, 1999.

StLSO: National writers, in national publications, have written that maybe it's time for you to do TV work. Do you care to comment on that, and does the fire still burn?

La Russa: You know, what I've learned is...

StLSO: ...not to pay attention?!

La Russa: It's not a funny subject.

And I'm not laughing.

It's a popular line, you know, and it attaches when you've been around for a while

Especially if the club doesn't have a really good year.

It's-"he's had enough", or "maybe he's not worth a darn anymore".

So either way they give me the benefit of the doubt.

And they say "he's not interested anymore" or "he can't do it anymore".

Either way it's kind of interesting to write about the end of the time.

But, just like Jim Leyland said, and we've talked about this a lot.

The person you don't want to fool is yourself. And if you've got the fire in your gut, then you want to keep doing the job.

StLSO: And you're not gonna cheat the game.

La Russa: I'm not going to cheat the game and I'm not going to cheat the people that pull for our club.

So, yes, my fire is still burning.

StLSO: Tony, I sensed a difference in spring training, after Matt Morris went down. I couldn't tell exactly what it was. But I wrote about it anyway. It was as if you knew, then, that your club didn't have a chance to win. Now, you'd never say that, but was I on to something?

La Russa: The true excitement of a season, once you've been involved some, is believing that you have a true chance to win-to play meaningful games in September with a chance to win [and qualify for post-season play].

And then, hopefully, playing in October. That's really where the fun is.

I think it's always a privilege to be in the big leagues, even just being part of the competition is a honor and a privilege.

But, if you really want to have fun, losing Morris...(voice trails off)

Houston. That didn't happen to Houston.

That's not an excuse. That's just fact.

It was devastating for our club, because we're not deep enough in our rotation.

Other clubs that are deeper, they can sustain more and still have a chance.

It was hard for us.

StLSO: You've talked to Jim Leyland about his resignation.

La Russa: It's not in his gut. Mostly, it's not in his gut before and after the game. He still likes the game itself.

StLSO: What is the reason you're still at it--that you were a banjo hitter and you're still striving?

La Russa: It's the love of the game.

A comment that I've always disagreed with is that the lousy players make [good] managers.

And I looked around, and I said 'wait a minute'.

What about Dusty Baker and Don Baylor and Jim Fregosi and Joe Torre? It's not being a lousy player.

It's the truth. I was a terrible player.

The key is, as I was taught, is that it's the love of the game and the desire to learn it.

That's really what it's all about. If you love the game and you desire to learn, you can be a good player, a great player, or a bad player, and be a good manager.

So that's what I've always had about this game. I love it and try to continue to learn it.

StLSO: I've been in your Milwaukee clubhouse, and your Cincinnati clubhouse-both after losses. It wasn't pretty. But you've had other losing clubs. The clubhouse demeanor of the '99 Cards, can you compare it to other losing teams you've had?

La Russa: Very similar, because you try to maintain a professional level of effort. Even though there are days that you walk in and you're getting beat and you're frustrated by it.

Our club has done a good job looking... (voice trails off).

We've only had few really bad games where we stunk.

We've gotten beat in an upsetting way.

I think the best way to explain it... (voice trails off).

I would describe it, in my opinion, but I think the club shares it, is that we've been upset and we've been frustrated, but we haven't been embarrassed.

That would be the part that would be impossible to take. If I were embarrassed by this ballclub, or our performance, or my performance, that would be impossible to take.

StLSO: But you and I both know that some media types are saying that you are not seeing the same game they are.

La Russa: That is, technically, actually, an insult. That strikes right at your professionalism. Or if they think that you are not being honest, then, that strikes at your integrity. So either way, it's an insult.

StLSO: Tony, I know your history some. Do you need that sort of challenge?

La Russa: No, I don't. I don't need to be insulted.

Are you kidding?

No, but I think what happens is that, in this instance, somebody will look, whether it's a fan or the media, somebody will look for a kind of public bloodletting here on the team.

And, I'm not going to be a part of that.

StLSO: Tony, there's a perception in the minds of some fans and media, including, at times, yours truly, that you don't value defense as much as some other people do.

La Russa: There are some times that I just (pause) take all the arrows and don't say ****, and there's other times when you say something.

Like today. Do you know irritating and upsetting it is to hear some of the stuff that has no basis in truth?

Do you know that, in spring training when I had the Oakland A's, one of the best offensive teams, that the first meeting we had was about pitching and defense, that we were going to spend more time on our defense, that we were going to spend more time on our defense than swing the bat?

That's the same thing that I told the St. Louis Cardinals this spring.

You don't outscore anybody. Championships in every sport are won with defense first.

StLSO: And with Rick Ankiel a big leaguer now, and the concerns surrounding his future, and Kent Bottenfield now having some tiredness. The notion that you don't take care of your pitchers' arms?

La Russa: That's BS about abusing pitchers.

Christ, there's managers out there that are ****.

That's been my gospel since I was a baby in 1978 [taking care of pitchers]

So do you know what an insult it is for somebody to say that I abuse a pitcher?

Plus it's very inaccurate.

If you do it, because you think that your organization is so full of arms, then that is really coldhearted of you.

And I've seen managers do that.

I don't do that, because I was taught to treasure (voice trails off).

I mean, I'm not even going to defend myself.

Pitchers that know what I've done with them; if it's said because I don't have a clue about when a pitcher has had enough, then that just insults you professionally.

I can deal with that.

It's just like, 'Tony, you have no idea about the running game', or 'you don't know pitching well', or 'you can't make up a line-up', they're all professional insults.

I can take all of that ********.

But if you start telling me about my theories, about my philosophies, about my cares, that's very much different.

StLSO: In defense of your own relievers, you always take pains to point out that all clubs, if you look hard enough, have bullpen problems. But, to have a first-rate closer like Billy Wagner on your team--how important is that?

La Russa: When I was a young manager, and I used to think that I had an idea, but you really don't know because you haven't experienced it, I had an idea about this.

And the irony is really kind of laughable.

I don't know, it was 1982 or 1983 or something.

During the winter, I'd do a clothes thing with a sports council.

They had coaches from different sports, and players.

And Whitey [Herzog] was in it.

It was in Atlanta, Georgia.

I ride in a limo with him, and we were going to watch the Atlanta Hawks practice.

[Hawks Coach Mike] Fratello was there.

And [Herzog] tells me, 'you're never really smart as a manager, until you have a true closer.'

But you know our ballclub...Dennis Lamp, in 1983 saved 18, or 15. It was always juggle juggle.

My whole first years were mix, match.

We had Barojas [in Chicago] for awhile.

Then all of a sudden [in Oakland] we get Eck[Dennis Eckersley].

And now I appreciate it.

It was Eck and it was [Rick] Honeycutt.

It's really not that tough to see when a pitcher is vulnerable, and when to make a change.

The problem is, whether the change you make is going to be more efficient or effective, than the guy you've taken out.

That's what a lot of teams deal with.

So you're asking a question about a special reliever.

You can find a real bad club that's got a real good reliever.

It's possible to find a really good reliever on a bad club, like Mantei was, or Roberto Hernandez.

But it's impossible...or nearly impossible...to find a really good club without a real quality closer.

StLSO: Your pitching coach, Dave Duncan, has also been scrutinized this season

La Russa: I've been hearing about our ****ing pitching staff.

And I've got a big edge about it.

Because it's not supported by the facts. I mean, you look at who's pitching, and the job they've done.

All it is...is cheap shots, you know?

Look at where our starter ERA is...look who's directly ahead of us and behind us. It's the Mets and the Reds.

They had a heckuva lot more going for them in their rotation than we did.

All the guys that do well for us, and still no one gives Duncan any credit.

Bottenfield wouldn't have won 18 games without Dave Duncan. And Freddie Tatis wouldn't have hit like he did without Mike Easler. I'm not saying they would have been bad, because they've got talent.

But they both wouldn't have been as good.

StLSO: Does criticism from a manager, in the direction of a specific player, through the media...can you recall an instance where that has spurred a player on to greater heights?

La Russa: Not once.

And if it does, it's some kind of short term--'I'll show him'--you know, for a couple of days.

But pretty soon, you've got a relationship where the guy doesn't trust you.

And then, the other teammates, you know, have questions about this guy.

That sort of thing is perceived as covering your butt--as a manager 'covering his butt'.

That's the way it's generally perceived, by players, coaches, and other professionals.

You just watch the game!

A guy's not pitching or hitting, you know who it is!

So what, is the manager going to say--we lost because of? (voice trails off)

I mean, that's bull****.

I've never seen it help.

All it does is maybe **** somebody off right away. And you get a little pop there for a few days.

StLSO: But you don't want to fool the fans, though...

La Russa: Like Ron Gant, he would play and strike out three times. [Post-game media] would come in, and I would say, 'hey, he's working...'

I will always say the truth. But I don't (voice trails off).

[I'll say] 'he's been working', or 'we need to get him going', or 'when he hits we're a lot different team', but, 'we lost today because Ron struck out three times'?

Well how does that help? If you watch the game, you know that was involved.

When the media come in...[that approach] just doesn't work.

No, I'm not going to lie.

I'm not going to lie. But there's a way to tell part of what's going on without, like, today

Do you want me to say that Bottalico hung a slider?

Why?

If you watched the game, you know he hung a slider.

Never, ever, has that kind of criticism helped long term.

Not just in my experience.

In anybody else's, too.

You learn from what other people have done.