First off a manger is responsible for putting the best players on the field and give his team the best chance to win. If a player cannot hit the ball, it is the players fault for not hitting. Saying it is the mangers fault is stupid.
Now with the playoff issue. In 2000 we lost because we had not been in that situatin in four years and it was a completly different team with little experience. In 2001 nobody was going to beat Johnson and Schilling. 2002, we had some injuries and did not hit well against the Giants. 2004, we lost our ace and our 3-4-5 hitters did next to nothing in the World Series. 2005, beside Carpenter and Mulder, the pitching was not good and the offense was not good especially with Rolen on the shelf. 2006, we were healthy, we hit, we pitched great, and oh yah we won the World Series, but La Russa probably had nothing to do with that (not).
La Russa is one of the best managers in the history of the game. It is not his fault Pujols cant hit.
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