Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, speaking yesterday about fans and media members criticizing outfielder Chris Duncan for hitting just .227/.329/.358:
I get so tired of the unfair treatment of Chris Duncan. It makes me want to vomit. And you can quote me on that. This guy is treated unfairly. These fans have a reputation of being knowledgeable that they deserve but they have a couple quirks. And he is one of them.
Someone may want to get La Russa a barf bag, because less than 24 hours after he made those statements the Cardinals have demoted Duncan back to Triple-A.
Incidentally, in the history of mankind has making a statement ending in "and you can quote me on that" ever turned out positively for someone?
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These baseball writers never had a jock. They don't know what the hell competing is. Here we have a kid trying to make it to the bigs and these writers never touched a baseball in a game. I'm no Cardinal fan but I know darn well La Russa forgot more in one day than these writers ever knew.
How about the team officials who sent him to AAA? Does LaRussa know more baseball than they do? What if, as I assume happened, LaRussa signed off on the move?
Good for him for vocally supporting a player, even if he did then send him down to AAA. I'd love to hear Ron Gardenhire publicly support Delmon Young.
If the Cardinals really want to protext Duncan, they shouldn't take shots at them with reporters; they should stop pretending that he's an everyday (or even platoon) left fielder. To their credit, they apparently have.
I think most fans accept that Duncan is trying hard, but he's not producing, and is a symbol of the front office's failure to provide a lineup of major league players.
The whiff of nepostism doesn't help, either.
Delmon Young doesnt deserve support until he starts listening to a hitting coach.
To keep it going...there are plenty of other lesser than average players that get plenty of support from Gardy
*ahem*Punto*ahem*Tolbert*ahem*Tyner.
Maybe Delmon just doesn't dive into first base enough.
/end rant
Has Gardy really been anti-Delmon? I guess he hasn't done a LaRussa, but Delmon's dad isn't Gardy's pitching coach.
And as bad as Delmon has been, wouldn't it be disingenuous for Gardy to rail against Delmon's critics? If he did people would critisize him for that.