[BleacherBum593]

Derrick Goold has an article on Tony in today's Post -

La Russa: To go or to stay?

A couple of quotes that I found interesting in the article:

"There have been periods this year when we have struggled — where I had to honestly let the team know we had to keep pushing," La Russa said Tuesday. "The product of that could be some strained relationships. There may have been some people who got their feelings hurt. If there is a lingering effect, that's significant."

"First thought, can you honestly, realistically look at the next year and make the commitment you need to make?" La Russa said. "If the answer is no, then you don't need to go through the whole process. If it's yes, (one of the questions to ask) is there an alternative that is a better fit?"

La Russa likened this decision to the one he faced after the 2004 season, when his contract expired after the Cardinals' trip to their first World Series with him as manager. He said he'd follow a "similar formula" to come to a conclusion. That includes gauging whether he has the focus for it, whether he thinks the organization isn't numb to him after a dozen years, whether he likes the direction of the franchise and whether the players will respond to him.

"It's very common when you're doing that, that you ruffle some feathers, you get their attention," he said. "There are some strained feelings, some touchy times. Happened in Chicago (with the White Sox). Happened in Oakland. Happened in St. Louis (in '96). It's been a pretty nice run in the 2000s. The core group. The respect. The mutual respect. The relationships. But this year, we've had a lot of tests.

"That, to me, is the only difference between '04 and '07. That's why I think the 'player responding' part of that formula is important"

"I don't see a whole lot of alternatives," he said. "There are not a lot of places that I could go manage. People wonder where I'm going to manage. The real question is where is Dave (Duncan) going to be the pitching coach? And find out if they need a manager. Because I want to sign on there."

Duncan has a contract with the Cardinals through 2008.

I think Tony will follow the formula that he has followed since he has been here. He'll wait till the off-season and then assess whether he wants to continue here. I would say that there is a better than 75% chance that he'll be back in STL in 2008.