Tony LaRussa: Man on a Mission (a review)

Continuing our sporadic reviews of Cardinals-themed books. I was recently offered the opportunity to read Rob Rains' latest treatise and post my thoughts on the same. Mr. Rains was also kind enough to submit to a United Cardinal Blogger Radio Hour grilling, and that shining beacon of interviewing expertise can be found here. Tony LaRussa: Man on a Mission is an unauthorized biography of the Cardinal manager, although LaRussa did review the manuscript (and I'm sure offer suggestions and clarifications) before it went to publication.


Since this is the third such review I've done, I've developed a simple metric for evaluation: was I entertained, did the book achieve its stated goal, and would I recommend it. So, without further adieu:

- Was I entertained? Yes. This book is a light read; I started and finished it on a cross-country flight. It kept my attention well.

Some folks read for pleasure, some for knowledge. Happily Man on a Mission delivered both. I did not know LaRussa has managed 6 Rookies of the Year (Walt Weiss, McGwire, Ozzie Guillen, Ron Kittle, Canseco, Pujols). The entire discussion of the 2002 season was quite interesting. I did not know he was offered a minor league managing job by the Cardinals in 1978 (pg 32). I was not aware of the 'place a mediocre hitter in the #2 slot' idea (pg 81); that's something I disagree with, but it was interesting to see another perspective. I did not know Ankiel broke Dizzy Dean's club record for strikeouts by a rookie in 2000. I had forgotten about the hamstring injury Ozzie Smith suffered at the tail end of spring training in 1996, which may have been another reason Royce Clayton got the starting job coming out of the gate. And, the explanation of why Ankiel pitched Game 1 of the 2000 NLDS helped my understanding of what happened.

- Did the book achieve its stated goal? Sort of. Based on the title, and the prologue, it tries to dig into what drives LaRussa, why he competes the way he does, and why he loves the game. I didn't come away with a better understanding of what drives the man. I'd come to the conclusion, after years of watching him manage St Louis, that he's an alpha male who competes at everything and hates to lose. This book says essentially the same thing. However, this book is a chronological treatment of LaRussa's managerial career, starting with his first job (White Sox AA farm Knoxville) and running through his stint with the Cardinals. Rains covers LaRussa's childhood and playing baseball career in 32 pages. It does not 'delve into...the upbringing and sheltered personal life that helped shape LaRusssa...' (quoted from the press release). The book covers all the major events of his managerial career, but not very deeply, so I didn't come away with any new understanding of LaRussa's philosophy or life view.

I found one errata in the book. On page 221 Rains states the Cardinals won the first two games of the season-ending series against Houston, then lost on the last day of the season (which caused the tie and subsequent relegation of St Louis to the wild card). That's not quite correct. St Louis lost the opening game of that series 2-1 (5 Oct 2001), then split the next two to finish in the tie.

There are some areas I wish he had addressed further. Why did LaRussa put up with some guy's antics (both in the clubhouse and out) and not others? If he makes a point of talking to every one on the roster every couple of days (see page 120), how could he not know if there was steroid use in his locker room? LaRussa is fiercely loyal to his inner circle (Duncan, Weinberg). But some guys he never gave a chance to get there (ex-Cardinals trainer Gieselmann) (see pg 196). Why is that?

- Would I recommend it? Yes. Looking for an anthology of LaRussa's managerial career? This is the book. And, there are some interesting tidbits in the book as well (as discussed above). Again, it is very readable, and most folks will enjoy the read.

The book lists for about $25, but you can probably find it for less than $20 at booksellers everywhere. It's a great gift for Dad, brother, boyfriend, boy-toy - whatever role that oh-so-special Cardinal fan fills for you.

Programming Note: I'm hosting the Radio Hour tonight (7:30 PDT). Hope to hear from you then. If you're too lazy to click the link, the dial in number is (646) 929-1758.

St Louis Cardinals: Past and Present (a Review)

Back on 22 April I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Doug Feldmann about his new book, St Louis Cardinals: Past and Present. The interview can be downloaded here.

Unfortunately I didn't receive the book until 2 days after I did the interview, and due to a variety of circumstances, I didn't get a chance to finish reading it until I was on a plane Monday. But I did make it through the book, and as I agreed to do when I accepted my copy, I offer this review.

The book is billed as a coffee table volume on Cardinals history, and it definitely delivers on that score. Past and Present is chock full of photographs, which span the rich history of the club. Lots of them brought Cardinals memories of mine, some long buried, back to the surface. Ozzie Smith's backflip (pg 7). Those ugly blue road uniforms. Andujar losing his mind (pg 23 and 102) in the 1985 World Series. Jack Clark's follow through on his '85 NLCS home run (more on that event during the next UCB topic). Rick Ankiel and John Tudor pitching. And so on.

However, to me the most interesting photos are the defensive action shots. They show just how much the game has changed over the years. It used to be a much more physical game on the bases. Witness Red Schoendienst vs Johnny Pesky (pg 62), or Marty Marion vs Eddie Stanky (pg 65), and compare those plays to the Renteria/Eckstein photos on page 67. Guys tried to take people out routinely to break up double plays; now, when Mark Teixiera does it (like he did last night against Texas), it's news.

The writing is clear and concise. However, this is a high level look at Cardinal history. It's a great book for someone who doesn't know anything about that history, or is a casual fan of the team. Hard core followers of the Redbirds will be familiar with much of what Dr. Feldmann presents.

To be fair, although I consider myself a hard core fan, I did indeed learn some new things. I never understood why Johnny Keane left the Cardinals to become the Yankees manager after the 1964 season; Feldmann sheds some light on that event (page 33). I did not realize the Cardinals were the last of the original 8 NL teams to appear in a World Series (pg 15). And he presents an interesting spin on Curt Flood's reserve clause challenges.

There are some inconsistencies in the book. His statement that Ozzie Smith 'graciously' split time at short in 1996 with Royce Clayton isn't supported by the facts, at least not those remarks Ozzie made to the press then and since. On page 8, he states the Cardinals were the western and southern most franchise until 'expansion in the 1960s', which is wrong; the Dodgers and Giants moved west in 1958. Later in the book (page 126), he corrects his page 8 error. However these items don't detract from the book overall.

In short, I enjoyed St Louis Cardinals: Past and Present and recommend it for the pictures alone if nothing else. It makes a nice addition to any Cardinal fan's personal library. Amazon.com, among other locations, offer it for something less than $25.00.

Book Review: Best St Louis Sports Arguments

On or about 2 November, I was minding my own business when I received an email about Bryan Burwell's book, The Best St Louis Sports Arguments: The 100 Most Controversial, Debatable Questions For Die-Hard Fans. The publisher (Sourcebooks, Inc) was asking if I 'would be willing to review this book for your blog'.

Gotta be a joke, I thought.

Well: Sourcebooks, Inc actually exists - it's an independent publishing company based out of Illinois. When I called the number, a person answered - and the name she gave matched that on the email I received. They were serious. So I told them sure I'd read and review it. They asked that the review come out the week of 26 Nov; so it follows below.

Here's a photo of the book cover:

Now a disclaimer: I haven't written a book report since high school, so if you're expecting this to read like a New York Times book section review, you're going to be SORELY disappointed. Of course, if you think the writing on this blog approximates the New York Times writing style, either I'm in the wrong line of work or you should stop drinking. Immediately.

Bottom Line Up Front: If you're tired of slogging through the Confessions of St Augustine and want an intellectually non-threatening book to read for that 3-hour flight anywhere, this book is for you. However, I was disappointed with the book, mostly because the amount of facts used to back up any of the opinions expressed inside it are scarce to say the least, and there are no references given for the reader to review to see the veracity of his arguments.

It lists for $14.95, which I think is a bit much for 265 pages of Bryan Burwell's opinion.

Having said that, I've been kicking around how I was going to write-up this review, and all my rough drafts focused on what I thought was wrong with some of Mr. Burwell's arguments, which means he succeeded in what he was trying to do, namely, present a position as a jumping off point for you to say, 'yep, that's right' or ' that's BULLSHIT! And here's why.' So although I was disappointed in the book overall, I must admit, in all fairness, many of the positions presented got me thinking, which again, is the intent of the book.

Some specific constructive comments:

- There is one outright error, on page 95: Chris Pronger has only won 1 Stanley Cup as of the printing of the book, vice the two quoted, and that was with Anaheim in 2007. He has been to the Finals twice (last year and 2006 with Edmonton); perhaps that's what Burwell meant.

- Burwell's picks in just about every category lean heavily and almost exclusively to players and teams he watched personally or that played during his lifetime. This is understandable when you realize....

- Burwell appears to have done very little research other than talk to some sportswriting cronies and do one interview with Jim Hanifan. It's hard to say for sure, since there are no footnotes included in the discussion, no references cited, and virtually no hard facts quoted throughout the book.

- His statement that Don Denkinger can't be blamed for the 1985 World Series loss to KC is valid, but his argument is so weak that it almost forces the conclusion that Denkinger WAS to blame (pg 117).

- Same can be said about his argument for who the greatest Cardinal manager of all time is. I would have used a different metric than longevity and division titles, since the men he's trying to compare (Southworth, Herzog, and LaRussa) managed the game under different rules and in a different league (8 teams, 1 division vs 12 teams, 2 divisions vs 16 teams, 3 divisions and a wild card). Perhaps wins per year? NL titles (although a difficulty factor would have to be added - it was easier to win a league title before one or two tiers of playoffs were invented)? WS titles (which, after all, is the goal of every baseball team)?

- I think he's arguing that St Louis isn't the great baseball town its reputation says it is (pg 201-205), but his argument is a little convoluted and I couldn't tell what he was arguing for when it was over.

- Curt Flood's challenging the Reserve Clause is a significant moment in baseball history, but the most significant moment in St Louis sports history (pg 49)? I don't think so. The most significant moment in St Louis sports history is signing Branch Rickey to be team president and manager of the Cardinals in 1919. The Cardinals we all know now as the NL's marquee franchise (in terms of World Series titles)? Didn't exist until Rickey invented the farm system. Those 9 NL titles and 6 World Series titles from 1926-1946 don't happen without Rickey. He laid the foundation for success that continues to the present. If that's too esoteric, I would suggest four others that deserve mention: trading for Lou Brock (led to the El Birdos 3 WS appearances and 2 titles), trading for Mark McGwire (led to a revival of interest in Cardinal baseball and the long term signing of Jim Edmonds, a key member of 2 WS teams), trading for Brett Hull (which revived Blues hockey, not to mention bringing the Greatest Blue of them all to St Louis), or Trent Green's blown knee (letting Kurt Warner get a shot and 2 Super Bowl appearances).

Some general comments about content:

- I completely agree with his position on whether Cardinals/Cubs is a great rivalry (pg 100), on whether the Rams should bring the throw-back unis back (like the Chargers do with the powder blues - one home game a year) on page 152, and the things he says about kid and high school sports on page 263-64.

- I continue to find it amusing that a man who was an unrepentant apologist for Barry Bonds for years, and manages to include Leonard Little on his 'All St Louis Football Team' (pg. 177) without mentioning the fact that Little killed a woman with his car while driving drunk, never misses a chance to savage Mark McGwire by talking about his alleged steroid use. There is no discussion about McGwire's performance on the field, just page after page screaming "HE CHEATED!" Bryan: (a) Andro was legal when McGwire was taking it; (b) McGwire, although not as forthcoming as many sportswriters would have liked at the Senate hearings, at least was honest (unlike Palmerio); (c) McGwire has never been found to have failed a drug test or been indicted by the Feds for perjury and obstruction of justice (although if his name appears in the Mitchell report, I may have to rewrite this paragraph).

- I found one passage on page 71 to be patently offensive: "With the early 1940s National League watered-down because of both the war and the lack of black players in the majors..." (emphasis mine). Why did he feel the need to throw the second part of that comment in? Would he say the early 1940s Negro Leagues were watered-down because of both the war and the lack of white players? Saying the league was at less than it's best because of all the players in the service during the war would have been enough. But no, we've got to bring race into it, which weakens the argument, insults the reader, and discredits the author.

- I can't believe he didn't find room for Marty Marion at SS for the all-time Cardinals team (3 WS titles, 8-time All Star, NL MVP in 1944).

- I can't believe Orlando Pace continues to get the props he does even though he breaks down with injury virtually every single season.