That is strange. Is he a PIA with the local media? I can see his DUI arrest resulting in some issues with fans but on the flip side, I was always under the impression he offered a lot of his time, and presumably his money, to charitable causes-- specifically for animals. That never hurts your reputation.
There are several managerial positions open now but I'm not sure how many great candidates are out there. Would Francona be a good fit for the Cards?
Yes, LaGenius (as he is referred to frequently in this neck of the woods) is challenging with a very friendly, suck-up media. He does offer his time to causes, both bestial and human. His "smarter than all the rest of you" personna is what grates many folks, but no one ever suggested the Cards should have found another manager. The DUI arrest didn't hurt him at all, this is the home of AB. The only beef was he reportedly was drinking wine rather than beer. And that's his biggest problem, he's a northern Californian plunked in the heart of the midwest. He's alien to us.:redrolf:
Don't understand why anyone thinks the Redbirds want a Red Sox castoff. Francona lost the team, right? We don't need that. They will probably hire Jose Oquendo, the 3rd base coach the last 12 years and a long time Cardinal. He's highly respected by the team, and Pujols in particular.
Important to the Cardinals is that Dave Duncan (pitching coach) will honor the last year of his contract and expressed complete disinterest in the managerial position. Sucker makes $3mil a year as a pitching coach! Nice gig, but he has had a long time habit of turning 8 game winners into 12 game winners and 10 game winners into 15 game winners over the years.
