Should I use the cream or the clear, coach?

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

ESPN sources report that Mark McGwire is being tabbed by Tony LaRussa to replace Hal McCrae as hitting coach for the Cardinals in 2010.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4593412

[MFS62]

This is going to give the term "take two and hit to left" a whole new meaning.

Later

[Guest Edgy DC]

In The New Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract, BJ had him as the best firstbaseman of all time not to play in the thirties (third behind Gehrig and Foxx), and that list includes a lot of other juicers, so part of his game was certainly understanding and applying technique.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

I was surprised about McGwire simply because he's freaking disappeared since that testimony. But I'm wondering if this is a chance for him to rehab the image a little. It's easy to malign a ghost. But if he's back in the game, chatting up the writers, making himself available to answer a couple questions about the issue then moving on, he might get those Hall of Fame votes.

Hell, ARod confessed, and you don't hear much about that anymore.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Yup. Public rehabilitation has to start somewhere.

[ashie62]

Somehow, I'm for this..It's not like Kobe in Colorado, oh, he didn't do that, I forgot

[metirish]

I like it , and I would think that by the end of Spring Training it's not even an issue , probably before that even....hold the impromptu press conference in the dugout at the training facility because that's where they happen now and answer all the questions and that's it.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The problem with a press conference is that McGwire has yet to (a) admit to using, or ( get definitievely caught using, escaping the twin nets of the Mitchell Report and the leaky 2003 list. As the main evidence against him has been his muscles, his acne, and the claims of Jose Canseco, his strategy has been to evade and to get on a high horse about innocent until proven guilty. A change in that strategy would be no light thing.

[ashie62]

The problem with a press conference is that McGwire has yet to (a) admit to using, or ( get definitievely caught using, escaping the twin nets of the Mitchell Report and the leaky 2003 list. As the main evidence against him has been his muscles, his acne, and the claims of Jose Canseco, his strategy has been to evade and to get on a high horse about innocent until proven guilty. A change in that strategy would be no light thing.

[metirish]

The problem with a press conference is that McGwire has yet to (a) admit to using, or ( get definitievely caught using, escaping the twin nets of the Mitchell Report and the leaky 2003 list. As the main evidence against him has been his muscles, his acne, and the claims of Jose Canseco, his strategy has been to evade and to get on a high horse about innocent until proven guilty. A change in that strategy would be no light thing.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, I think most of the media (that cares) consider his evasions more damning than the rest of the evidence put together. Certainly the voters seem to. It doesn't mean they won't make a show of it if and when he does come clean, but at least he'll have somewhere to start from in rebuilding his image.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

I'm guessing this idea didn't look too hot at first to LaRussa, but it got steadily more attractive to him as the evening wore on.

[Guest Edgy DC]

LaRussa owes McGwire quite a bit.

[MFS62]

LaRussa owes McGwire quite a bit.[/quote:1d8e8qxo]
He didn't pay for the last shipment?

Later

[metirish]

I guess I should have read the provided link.....this is a done deal

La Russa did say he hopes being back in the game will restore some luster to McGwire�s public image.

I�m hoping. I think that�s a byproduct � he�s back in uniform, and people can see his greatness,� La Russa said. He added that answering questions about his past won�t be part of his job description: �Mark�s not going to be hanging around the cage just watching BP. That work ethic is going to translate into a heck of a coach. � It�s a good time in his life. His kids are in school. His wife wants him to do it. He�s been hired to be our hitting coach because he can help our offense be better. � �This is the time for Mark to join our club.�

[Frayed Knot]

He added that answering questions about his past won�t be part of his job description

That doesn't mean he won't be asked about it

[nymr83]

He added that answering questions about his past won�t be part of his job description

asking those questions will be part of reporters' job descriptions though.

if he/they have any sense he'll talk about at the beginning of spring training so that its over with and not a distraction in April.

[Guest Edgy DC]

One funny thing is that this story was apparently broken not by a Cardinal press release, but by a tweet from Brian McRae, announcing that his dad Hal had been fired by the Cards and that LaRussa had replaced him with McGwire. The Cards hadn't yet even officially announced that LaRussa was returning.

It's getting real hard for the old-model PR team to do their jobs effectively in the nu media world.

[metirish]

Some comments I read at the Post Dispatch site had people wondering why LaRussa signed on for only one year.....a few wondered if Big Mac was being primed for taking over in 2011