Advice to Tony Rasmus, when you're in a hole, stop digging.

tkihshbt wrote:

Actually both did a nice job. The elder Rasmus explained his positions well and Bernie did a good job interviewing him.

Synopsis, por favor?

Forgot to add that he said if Mozeliak or La Russa ask him to stop posting on message boards, he'd do it.

Joe Strauss Writes:

"Still, Tony Rasmus believes his son has encountered resistance because of his tag as "Luhnow's boy," a derisive label due to the chasm that grew between Luhnow, eventually appointed the Cardinals' vice-president of scouting and player development, and former general manager Walt Jocketty. Even after Jocketty's ouster in October 2007, Rasmus felt like a clubhouse outcast as a rookie, when he commanded playing time previously assigned to Rick Ankiel, Chris Duncan and Ryan Ludwick. At least one player's family refused to acknowledge Rasmus' parents in the family section during games."

a) Did Tony Rasmus really say something so blunt about a wound that remains open, (i.e. he has a tag as "Luhnow's boy")?  If so, he's incredibly naive and foolish, IMO.

b) Which family gave the Rasmus's the cold shoulder?  If the Ankiel's, Ludwick's, or any one of a number of other families, it's a minor thing.  If the Duncan's did it, then Rasmus probably needs to be traded.

"A number of people in the organization construed Rasmus' laid-back demeanor as a sense of entitlement. Rasmus may have reinforced the impression when he pouted upon assignment to Class AAA Memphis."

Thanks, Joe.  Forget that stuff about being a prima donna; that was poor word choice.  Strauss said it much better.  My frequent references to the Rookie of the Year award that he is owed and will eventually win one of these days was about the sense of entitlement.  Maybe that's related to being a prima donna, and prima donnas feel entitled, too.  But Strauss's word fit my perception of Rasmus, and what has irked me about him, than my own word choice of 'prima donna' did. 





Rasmus drama remains hot topic

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/baseball/professional/article_1929ee5f-82f6-592a-b22a-6a0bda759025.html

Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll decide which teams I'll root for, Artie. 

And, FWIW, I think you are making a mountain out of a mole hill.  TK asked if I was ripping on him with my ROTY comments, and I explained I wasn't.  From that, seemingly endless taunts and requests to further explain and clarify make it seem to some like I have a big issue with Rasmus, which I don't.  I joke about the perception that he has a sense of entitlement.  As a player and a person, I hope he pulls out of his slump and discovers his inner awesomeness.

tkihshbt wrote:

Strauss never said he had a sense of entitlement.

And neither did I, by the way. 

Strauss said: "A number of people in the organization construed Rasmus' laid-back demeanor as a sense of entitlement", which I paraphrased as a "perception that he has a sense of entitlement," something that I joke about.

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/article_462d93bc-1456-5d13-b41f-f306b93f195e.html

This was my idea last week. I want a royalty check from the P-D.

It isn't the craziest idea.  Cliff Lee was 18-5 in 2005, spent half of the 2007 season in the minors and then returned to win the Cy Young in 2008.  Lee was 28 when Cleveland sent him back.

I have a sense that Lee has a little tougher mental make-up than Rasmus, however.

I remembered rumors involving Lee and Reyes and thought it was a brilliant idea for each side to dump its underachiever on the other team.  Too bad it didn't happen.  I don't remember hearing about the third baseman (not saying you're not right, just don't remember that part).

I dunno. I think John Vuch has already taken most of Luhnow's power. Fors might need to correct me, though.

Last edited by tkihshbt (7/18/2011 9:41 pm)

Max wrote:

tkihshbt wrote:

Perhaps, but I remember people being really down on Lee in 2007 and thinking he was finished. I remember Cleveland was offering Peralta and Lee for Rolen and Reyes at the time and I wanted them to take it.

I don't remember that, but good recall.  What a missed opportunity!  Maybe we were still trying to make the Mark Mulder experiment work for our lefty.

My recollection is that the common wisdom for a starter in slump is to play him everyday and just figure he'll get over it, with the caveat that it's like a watched pot never boils.  Rasmus probably needs to play everyday in a place where he is allowed to be himself.  It's possible that Edmonds never would have blossomed into the star he became if he had stayed in Anaheim.  We want both the redbirds and Rasmus to win here, and that might mean a trade, if some other GM is willing to make an offer based upon his perceived ceiling.  So, don't get me wrong, there's no need to to 86 him, but the win-win here is probably with Rasmus somewhere else.  Besides, that might have the unintended side-effect of trimming Luhnow's wings a bit further.

I think Rasmus would benefit from playing someplace more low key.  Tony Rasmus dream of him playing for the Braves wouldnt be a bad idea for Rasmus.  If Nate McLouth and Jason Hayward can hit .220 with little power and go unnoticed then surely Rasmus would be left alone during his seasonal slumps.  I dont think Rasmus enjoys being under the microscope of a baseball city.  At least I assume the notice his slumps get in the media effect his fragile confidence.

So many things upon which to comment:

“Tony needed pitching and wanted to force the GM into making a trade, so he belittled Colby to the fans.�

Sorry. I must have skipped school the day they taught the part about the fans having involvement in personnel decisions.

“Tony would like to have 25 pitchers,�  Tony Rasmus said, “like he thinks he has to put his stamp on every ball game. They had nothing else to trade. I think everyone is better off now.�

Geez. A manager making baseball decisions during the course of a baseball game. What a novel concept.

"Jeff Luhnow, the Cards’ vice-president of player procurement, made Rasmus his first pick in the 2005 draft, causing La Russa, according to Tony Rasmus, to “make cracks how Colby was Luhnow’s boy and that led to (former GM) Walt Jocketty leaving.�  The father said it’s been like that for three seasons."

OK, why would a manager he describes as a technocrat sabotage one of his own players? Doesn't seem like a good way to promote the manager's job security, does it?

"Tony Rasmus says his son is coming to a “great hitter’s park,�  but knows his son won’t be seeing any pitching staffs like the Houston Astros or Chicago Cubs in the American League East."

Huh? When did the Orioles become the '72 Athletics? This whole "AL East superiority" thing is really starting to bug me. It's a good division, maybe the best in baseball, but I wouldn't even call the Red Sox' pitching staff dominant.

“There are three or four guys in the St. Louis clubhouse right now, thinking ‘oh-oh, who is the manager going to pick on next with Colby gone?’�

Hopefully, Ryan Theriot.

Last edited by artie_fufkin (7/28/2011 10:23 am)