Tony LaRussa, St. Louis Cards manager, animal rights leader, and now, #1 Mark McGwire defender, enabler, et al was scheduled to appear on KGO's Ronn Owens Wednesday program to talk about all the latest ruckus regarding McGwire's half-hearted confession to Bob Costas.
Most notable: LaRussa, who has a home in Danville during the off-season, is snubbing KNBR, the all-sports outlet. Usually, LaRussa calls in to Gary Radnich' show and is also an occasional caller into Ralph Barbieri and Tom Tolbert's afternoon drive show, plugging his ARF benefit, (Animal rights fund.) No more, at least for the time being.
Last week, LaRussa took a lot of heat from the KNBR tonsils, (I called him a liar, for the record) over his early-2010 chutzpah award for trying to make all of us look like utter fools.
I'm usually the guy that hits KNBR for its doofusness, but here I'm squarely on the side of knibber. (I'm sure they're doing jumping jacks over this)
LaRussa did everything but tell Radnich to screw himself during a TV interview last week on Radnich's KRON segment where LaRussa was asked if he, was in essence, taking a hit for McGwire's silence the past five years. LaRussa was irritated en mass and after prodding from Radnich, essentially told Raddy where he could stuff it. Let's just say the interview was contentious. Radnich played off the affair and still says he and Tony "are friends." Maybe, maybe not.
Barbieri and Tolbert also riffed LaRussa for his steadfast "pissed-off-ness" regarding McGwire and Barbieri wondered aloud why the Ex-A's skipper would take a bullet for wussy McGwire.
Don't expect LaRussa to grace the KNBR airwaves anytime soon, but knowing all the usual suspects, this may blow over by the next time Tony needs to plug his animal-rights gig...
In the meantime, wonder if LaRussa is primed to read the special Ronn Owens "Sleeptrain" ad?
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I listened to the i-view. It was good that Gary was talking about what happened the next day too, and people agreed he was not out of line. I think Tony could have dodged the question better instead of accusing Raddy of calling him 'a liar". Gary not asking the question that was obviously on EVERYONES mind would have been perceived as really soft.
ReplyDeleteI agree Jeffrey. Well-stated.
ReplyDeleteWhen Ralph and Tom and the rest of KNBR get as tough on Bonds and the Giants bosses as they are on La Russa and McGwire, then people might listen to what they are saying. But, otherwise, KNBR is nothing but a PR machine for the Giants.
ReplyDeleteVery accurate, Bob.
ReplyDeleteGood story, although, LaRussa's organization is called the Animal Rescue Foundation.
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