Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he knows the team needs a decision on his future soon and he will notify the team, possibly as early as this weekend, about whether or not he will return.
The front office has made it clear they want Tony to return. The question is going to be whether or not Tony has the fire to go through the grind of another long season. What is he 62, 63 years old? At some point you have to wonder if he is ready to slow down and enjoy life with his family? From a professional standpoint, now is not the time to go. He has the best player in baseball with Albert Pujols and he will have two of the best starting pitchers in the National League with Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright. If the fire is still there, he has to be looking at the nucleus of this club knowing he’ll have a team that will compete again for the Central Division.
Alright, back to Albert Pujols. He was named the National League MVP by the Sporting News for the second year in a row. In a release sent to media outlets from Pujols’ agent, he had this say regarding his recent elbow surgery.
“I want to thank all of my fans who reached out to the Pujols Family Foundation wishing me well. I have said throughout my whole career the best fans in the world are right here in St. Louis, and your support means a great deal to me and my family.
Yesterday, I flew down to Alabama accompanied by our team physician, Dr. Paletta, to meet with Dr. Andrews for a checkup on my elbow. After their evaluation, they determined that my ligament was completely healthy and there were a few bone spurs that were causing my discomfort during the season — which have been removed. Can’t wait to see you all in Jupiter, and God bless.”