Cubs: No Tinker. No Evers. No chance.

by jjray on Apr 28, 2007 12:27 PM EDT

For those who did not hear the exchange between TLR and Bernie M. of the Post after TLR imperiously deigned not to take questions from any Post reporters after a tongue in cheeck article by Derrick Goold, here is a link to the audio:
http://kmox.com/pages/67880.php

Here is a link to the Goold story:
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/3D9C787870A16102862572CA000E5C22 ?OpenDocument

My take is that TLR's actions were in very poor form. He makes a very bad coaching decision (or multiple) that result in an ugly loss then refuses to take questions from the main reporters covering the team.

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Disagree somewhat

I think Tony stood up for what he fairly believed was a cheap shot against the Cubs. He has every right in the world to make a statement against the PD by not taking questions. However I think his general tone and attitude in explaining his stance was poor form. He would have come across as more believable if he stated his purpose in a calmer fashion.

As for the article (poem) itself, I thought it was plain crap. I can't believe Goold wrote- much less published- it.

by Zubin on Apr 28, 2007 1:09 PM EDT reply actions

Didn't something similar happen last season?

A similar thing happened last year at about the same time.

Jim Hayes of FSN Midwest was asked not to join the team on a road trip to Pittsburgh after he called the Brewers "overrated". Tony was peeved, so he had the team ask (read: tell) Hayes not to join them on the road trip.

Shameless plug warning. At the time, I wrote a post about it on my blog. You can read it here:

http://i-55rivalry.blogspot.com/2006/05/sports-radio-suckseven-cardinals.html

Unfortunately, the link to the Post-Dispatch article now leads to a "Can't find your request" page. But I swear it happened.

Of course, in the Hayes instance, Tony didn't express displeasure by not taking questions from FSN. His response to the Goold article is overblown.

by arch support on Apr 28, 2007 1:26 PM EDT reply actions

overblown

>>His response to the Goold article is overblown.<<

Goold was making a joke. Whether it was a poor joke or not ... whatever. Did anyone in Chicago complain (or even care)??? Tony, by getting into a pissing match with the Post writers, merely draws attention to the article. I have a serious concern that LTR's dust up was calculated to deflect attention from his managerial blunders. That's what irks me.

by jjray on Apr 28, 2007 2:19 PM EDT reply actions

"He makes a very bad coaching decision

From what I've heard, Tony told the P-D before the game that he wouldn't answer questions.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Apr 28, 2007 2:51 PM EDT reply actions

that would change things

>>From what I've heard, Tony told the P-D before the game that he wouldn't answer questions.<<

If so then my suspicions would be unfounded.

by jjray on Apr 28, 2007 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions

the article was between the post and its readers

but somehow tony has gotten the impression that the post-dispatch speaks for the cardinals --- or is supposed to speak for the cardinals --- or something like that. he has very strong feelings about sportsmanship, and my guess is that he felt the article fell outside those bounds . . . . . but since the post-dispatch reporters don't work for tony, they're not the least bit obligated to conform to his views on this subject.

pretty arrogant of la russa to treat these guys as if they work for him.

by lboros on Apr 28, 2007 2:55 PM EDT reply actions

Ho Hum....One Trick Pony writing...

Cubs fans have this stuff before, over and over. It's kinda old, don't you think? It's like Fox running the goat across the screen over and over...old material.

If you can't be creative, you go back to the well, and dredge up the SOS.

Besides, I think Tony was not going to see his friend (Piniella) thrown under the bus. If Dusty was in the manager's chair, you might not have seen such a reaction.

Perhaps this is one of the myriad of reasons why circulation is falling at all of America's big-city newspapers....lack of creativity.

by San Diego Smooth Jazz Man on Apr 28, 2007 5:52 PM EDT reply actions

This reader thought it was bad journalism

and I sent email to Goold telling him I thought he could do better.

Fan for Life. Go Cards.

by Birds on the Bat on Apr 28, 2007 5:53 PM EDT reply actions

it wasn't journalism at all...

... it was a prank; a practical joke; a (un)friendly ribbing. just because it appeared in a newspaper doesn't mean it was "reporting".

a lot of Cards fans wear t-shirts to games which make fun of the Cubs. is TLR pissed about that too?

by kindred on Apr 28, 2007 7:35 PM EDT up reply actions

TLR

my two cents for what it's worth (not much I know)

#1-He wasn't even asked about the article.
#2-Strauss and Miklasz didn't write the article. They're just trying to make a living and Tony won't give them the quotes they need because he's mad at the paper
#3-The Post is not owned by the Cardinals so why does Tony even care what they wrote?
#4-Why couldn't he just make his statement at the beginning instead of waiting until someone from the Post asked a question? Even if he said it before the press conference, that still doesn't excuse his timing. He was trying to act like a tough guy.
#5-Bernie's my hero. A lot of journalists would give in to the pressure of a HOF manager and just let it go. He had every right to be upset at LaRussa. He was 100% in the right.

by themang on Apr 28, 2007 7:45 PM EDT reply actions