Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009

La Russa: McGwire is hitting coach, Duncan returns as pitching coach

McRae fired to make room for Big Mac

ST. LOUIS -- Tony La Russa was upstaged at his own press conference Monday morning in which he announced he will return in 2010 for a 15th season as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals.

La Russa, appearing at Busch Stadium, made public his decision to return to the dugout after two weeks of reflection at his California home.

Most people expected La Russa, 65, to be back with the Cardinals, so his confirmation of the rumor that former Cardinals first baseman Mark McGwire would come out of retirement to be the team's new hitting instructor was the big news.

"Mark McGwire is going to be our hitting coach," said La Russa, sitting at a table with Chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. and General Manager John Mozeliak.

"I never talked to (McGwire) until Monday, which is a week ago. We talked back and forth three or four days. I definitely ran it by 'Mo' (Mozeliak) and Bill and they were on board. I'm excited to have Mark on the staff. This is the time for Mark to join our staff."

McGwire, who replaces Hal McRae, did not attend the press conference. McRae, 64, was with the Cardinals the last five seasons.

The rest of La Russa's staff will remain intact, including the return of pitching coach Dave Duncan, also back for his 15th season.

"I'm excited. I'm fired up for a number of reasons," said La Russa, who agreed to a one-year deal that will expire after the season.

La Russa's supply of energy was about empty after the Cardinals were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

"At the end of the season, you're pretty much done," he said. "There's enough gas to get to Halloween and beyond if we could have started play Wednesday in the World Series. But when it's over, it's time to back off. The process has been the same for years. Take some time.

"You've got to know that the guys who make the decisions want you back. If they say yes, then you check the clubhouse and see if your message is getting tired and (you're) being listened to."

Ultimately, La Russa said he returned for "basically selfish" reasons. He considered the situation in St. Louis and how lucky a new manager would be to have the job.

"The more I was home thinking about managing the St. Louis Cardinals, the thoughts that I had were about the support you get from ownership and the front office," said La Russa, also acknowledging the fans' commitment. "In 14 years, 11 times we've had 3 million fans. That makes for very exciting times here at the ballpark. This is a great place to be.

"So I got to thinking, 'This is a great place to manage. The guy who comes in next is really going to be lucky.' Selfishly, (I said), 'Heck with him. I'm going to take it.' It's a real good situation. I wanted to be the guy that enjoys it again."

The return of Duncan, 64, was paramount for La Russa.

Duncan became concerned this season about philosophical differences within the organization as they pertained to the development of pitching talent. He also was frustrated after the team traded his son, Chris, to Boston in July, explaining that Chris had not been treated fairly by fans and media.

But Duncan spoke with Mozeliak the day after the season ended, and Mozeliak became optimistic that Duncan would return.

"He and I touched on a few things that were written about in terms of some frustrations," Mozeliak said. "We drew up a plan to at least address it and move on, and he seemed very eager to look at it that way."

La Russa couldn't have imagined Duncan not being on his staff.

"It's not where I manage, it's where Dunc coaches," La Russa said. "Where he coaches, that's where I want to manage. He's that good."

La Russa typically has signed a two-year contract. He said there's little difference in a one-year deal, since he generally sits down with management at the end of each season to determine whether it wants him back and whether he wants to return.

"The last couple or three years in Oakland and now for 15 years (here), the ownership and front office in Oakland --the same thing here --whether I sign a three-year deal, two-year deal, at the end of the year if the ownership and front office says, 'You're not the guy,' they knew I'd walk away and they wouldn't have to pay me for the next year or two.

"So it's really been one-year contracts. The reality is, you check every year out. Every year, you get older and you want to be more careful. That's all it is. It's more real than anything else."

Without baseball, what would La Russa do with his time?

"Frankly, you think more about that in the last few years than ever before," he said. "At some point, the field action is not going to be a realistic thing to do. As much of you know, I don't know anything else. I'm not technical. All I know is baseball. I've been in it all my life.

"At some point, I would like to do something else in baseball that's not on the field. What does that mean? I don't know. I have a job now for 2010. But I plan to stay in baseball in some way."