St. Louis Sports Online

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Mike Huss "The Fuss According to Huss" St. Louis Sports Online lead columnist and host of "Sportstalk" on WGNU AM-920 (8:00-9:00 pm Tuesdays and Thursdays)

1999 has been a Screaming Eagle season for the baseball Cardinals. It has truly been a roller coaster ride. At this writing, the Home Team is one game behind their record on opening day: one game under .500. The Red Birds are welcoming the New York Mets to town for a weekend series and are starting the most difficult portion of their schedule.

While April was exciting and successful for the Red Birds, the months of May and June have been frustrating and unkind. Starting pitchers have been either hurt or ineffective. The new and improved bullpen has been erratic. Errors and fundamental blunders have mounted. Mark Mc Gwire and Ray Lankford are blasting home runs. J D Drew and Donovan Osborne are on the disabled list. Is the glass have empty or half full??

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During these times of crisis, loyal followers look for a focal point to vent their frustrations. Tony Banks and Dick Vermeil were the lightning rods of football fans during the past two Rams seasons. Larry Pleau took the heat from the local supporters when the Blues were stuck in neutral during the recently concluded hockey season.

During this .500 baseball campaign, the Cardinal faithful are venting their feelings toward the Manager's office and its current tenant: Tony La Russa. This was no exception last night on my WGNU Show, as the callers were lining up against the Manager. "He does not understand and has lost touch with this team", "Same results in the past three years", "He is too paranoid", were among the comments that filled the air on AM-920, last night.

This is nothing new. In all sports, the Manager/Head Coach usually takes undue credit or receives undue blame when his team performs on the field. #10 knows and accepts that.

That's why the rumblings which are coming from 250 Stadium Plaza this week are so confusing. According to reports, La Russa has been offered a contract extension and has not decided on whether to accept it. Conspiracy theorists are hard at work with this one.

La Russa, who is in the final contract season as Red Bird Manager, has a polarizing personality. Either you like him or you dislike him, and there really is no middle ground. Bobby Knight, Mike Ditka, Bill Parcells, Mike Keenan, and, to an extent, Whitey Herzog also fall into that category. The forcefulness of their vocal supporters or vocal detractors is directly proportional with their team's win/loss record.

Is Tony La Russa a good Manager? You would have to say, Yes. One does not win close to 1,600 career Major League Baseball Games and shortly approach the top ten in all time managerial victories, if one is not good at one's craft.

Is Tony La Russa a great Manager? That is debatable. Although he successfully guided three different franchises to post season play, his win/loss record over the past four seasons has been below .500.

Hence, boys and girls, let's go right to the bottom line: regardless of all the screaming and gnashing of teeth throughout the Cardinal Nation, the only votes that count in this contest belong to the Team's Ownership Group and to La Russa himself.

#10's fate will not be decided by a group of former Cardinal personnel who may or may not have an ax to grind. The Manager's status will not be decided a group of talk show junkies who can successfully dial seven to eleven digits correctly on the telephone. His future will not be in the hands of a television talking head whose presentations consist of a quota of scripted "off the cuff" ad lib's.

No, the ONLY vote that counts on whether or not to retain the current Manager rests solely with the Country Day Alumni Group who controls the St. Louis Cardinals.

In the same vein, Tony La Russa is the ONLY vote that counts on whether or not to accept and extension, if offered; and he does not owe anyone an explanation for his decision.

That is why those who follow the fate of the Cardinals should heed the advice of #10 himself. The Manager is not, and should not, be the focal point of a baseball team. He must not serve as any type of a diversion on the team's performance on the field.

With that said, #10 should also heed his own advice. La Russa needs to concern himself with the Red Birds' pitching situation, the growing number of team fundamental and fielding errors, instead of the comments and ramblings of a former Major League Manager, Shortstop, or Outfielder, or talking heads, or radio talk show junkies.

These past twelve months proved that America is truly a country governed by polls. From the President of the United States, to Medicare, to Social Security, to impeachment, to Kosovo, our elected officials watch and act by the results of focus groups.

Owners of Professional sport franchises are not elected officials and should not react to polling data. Perhaps that is a good thing, since it is their personal money on the line.

I do not even want to venture a guess as to how this Tony La Russa saga will play itself out. But really what difference does that make. My vote, like everyone else's vote on this matter DOES NOT COUNT!!

Regardless where Tony La Russa will be employed next season and regardless what the polls say; the only certainty for Cardinals fans is not to unclip your seat belts.

This roller coaster ride far from being over.