The Free Press, Mankato, MN

Ed Thoma

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March 10, 2008

Tony LaRussa, steroid enabler

When I heard that Sidney Ponson was getting a tryout with the St. Louis Cardinals, my first reaction was: They must be desperate there — especially since they released Ponson a couple of years ago.

My second was: Why would the Cards be interested in Ponson? He wasn’t named in the Mitchell Report.

If an accurate history of “steroid” use in baseball — the quote marks because the word is increasingly used, sloppily, to denote not only anabolic steroids but also human growth hormones and other chemicals intended to enhance muscle growth and recovery — is ever to be compiled, one very long chapter would almost certainly center around Tony LaRussa.

LaRussa is one of the most successful managers in major league history: Two World Series titles, three other league pennants, 11 divisional titles, 4,448 lifetime wins, a couple of books fawning over his expertise in the craft of running a team and a game.

And to the extent that we know how deeply performance-enhancing drugs permeated baseball, to the extent that we know when this happened, it appears clear that LaRussa was one of the great enablers.

He has always preferred to build his lineups around power hitters. His 1983 White Sox team — 99 wins and the look of a long-term powerhouse — had four regulars with 20 or more homers and a collection of first basemen who added another 20. His Oakland dynasty was known as “the Bash Brothers.” His success in St. Louis has been built on the likes of Mark McGwire and Albert Pujols.

He’s had regulars who didn’t hit the long ball, but he has always been willing to stretch his defense to get another bopper in the lineup. You want to play, you better hit for power.

He was vociferous in his defense of Jose Canseco until Canseco himself started publicly bragging about his steroid use. He remains stanch in his denials that McGwire used. He defends current player Rick Ankeil, who admits using human growth hormone.

This winter the Cardinals traded for Troy Glaus, named in the Mitchell Report as an HGH user — although that move was made in part because it was the easiest way to dump Scott Rolen, whose relationship with LaRussa had gone from sullen to poisonous. They brought in Juan Gonzalez, a two-time AL MVP whose career collapsed suddenly amid whispers of steroid use.

And early in spring training LaRussa said he wanted to bring in Barry Bonds — a proposal he says was shot down quickly by the team owner.

I can see but one reason for LaRussa to go public about that internal discussion — to press ownership to reverse course and let him add the poster child of steroid suspicions to his roster and lineup.

McGwire has been denied entry to the Hall of Fame because of steroid suspicions. There is growing debate over the merits of Bonds and Roger Clemens for similar reasons.

LaRussa’s record stands with the best managers of history, just as Bonds, McGwire and Clemens’ stats stand with those of the greatest players. His role in the scandal deserves equal scrutiny.



Edward Thoma is a Free Press staff writer. He is at 344-6377 or at ethoma@mankatofreepress.com. He also has a baseball blog at www.mankatofreepress.com/ethomabaseball

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Ed Thoma