Tony La Russa and the Cardinals have been vocal about mid-afternoon start times recently. It started back in the regular season, actually, but this week we’ve once again heard about how the shadows that fall across the field at around 4PM Central time make it difficult for the Cardinals. I suppose it makes it difficult for both teams, but let’s not concern ourselves with that.
We’ve heard the complaint enough that, understandably, some people have accused La Russa and the Cardinals of using the shadows as an excuse. Of -- dare I say it? -- whining. Well, La Russa takes exception to his team being called a bunch of whiners. If you’re less charitable than me,* you might even characterize it as whining:Sensitive to characterizations of his players as “whining” over visibility issues during Game 3 Tuesday afternoon, Cardinals manager Tony La Russa used blunt language to admonish media members for their presentation of the issue ... “If you don’t answer the question, then you’re not cooperative. If you do answer the question, you come out like excuse-makers,” La Russa asserted. “That really (angers me). If there’s one thing this team is not it is excuse-makers. ... The only thing that can not be ignored, it can be dangerous.”
He later added, “Anyone who would accuse this team of whining has not been around it. That’s an insult to me and to them.”
I get La Russa’s point here -- sometimes you can’t win -- but at some point you just gotta zip it, because you can’t complain your way out of being accused of being a complainer.
*Oh, wait. Sorry.
