Tony La Russa did his best today to defuse the budding controversy surrounding Colby Rasmus and his future with the team, telling the Post-Dispatch that to say the situation has devolved to an “either Rasmus goes or La Russa goes” state it all wrong and overstates the situation.
Which I agree, it states the matter too strongly. La Russa is going to go when he wants to, not because management forces him out over a dustup with Colby Rasmus. By the same token, Rasmus is not going to get shipped out just because people are getting snippy with him in the course of a horrendous late-season swoon. Stuff happens when teams lose and ugliness comes to the fore.
Of course, because he’s Tony La Russa, his comments make it very clear that he thinks everyone has it all wrong but him. I’ve still yet to hear any explanation for why Rasmus’ playing time has been so wonky (one that makes any sense, anyway). Likewise, I’d be curious to know who leaked word that Rasmus had asked for a trade earlier this season, because the only person whose cause that helps to have out there is La Russa’s (i.e. Rasmus being difficult gives La Russa cover for jerking him around).
Rasmus may not understand that his best move is always to keep quiet, play well and let things sort themselves out until his power to control his own destiny increases with service time. But it seems to me that La Russa has a lot of run-ins with players that go public, and that reflects more poorly on La Russa than Rasmus’ immaturity reflects on him.
