Former Cardinals Watch

[cardsfansince82]

I can't believe Ankiel is still employed.

[cards2468]

I can't believe Ankiel is still employed.

Pretty solid defender regardless of his bat.

[Magneto2.0]

After the awful start, Rasmus has reverted into the pretty decent player that so frustrated the hell out of us.

I honestly think he needed to be around less passionate fans and a less passionate manager.

He's playing the same now that he played with us. I don't think the change of scenery has made any significant change in his performance.

[docellis]

After the awful start, Rasmus has reverted into the pretty decent player that so frustrated the hell out of us.

I honestly think he needed to be around less passionate fans and a less passionate manager.

He's playing the same now that he played with us. I don't think the change of scenery has made any significant change in his performance.

I have no idea about performance, I just think that is what he needed mentally.

[Fat Strat]

Tony Rasmus finally admits that he was the one pushing Colby to ask for trades. Also says that he told Colby to lie about who was helping him with his swing.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/ ... ays-father

Last season, he said he couldn’t watch his son play, because it was like “watching a funeral procession.”

This year, he’s watched every game because he can see Colby enjoying the game again.

“That’s the kind of difference a year’s made in his life as far as baseball goes.”

In hindsight, Rasmus says, the expectations on his son in St. Louis — where he was a highly touted first-round draft pick — may have just been too much to bear.

“They expected him to be Albert Pujols in St. Louis and not too many people are going to be Albert Pujols.”

Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was also reportedly especially hard on Rasmus, who seemed to wilt under the tough-love approach.

“Maybe it’s just a better fit here. He really loves John (Farrell); John’s a more positive-type guy and that’s probably what he responded to better than all the negative stuff he dealt with (in St. Louis).”

But Tony Rasmus himself also became part of the controversy in St. Louis, where he developed a reputation as a meddling father whose private coaching of his son was in conflict with the Cardinals.

Rasmus called such allegations against him “absolutely the biggest fallacy.”

He says he just threw batting practice to Colby — to which his son had something of a superstitious attraction, he says — but he was not a technical hitting instructor.

“Tony (La Russa) didn’t want me involved because he was wanting (Cardinals’ batting coach) Mark (McGwire) to get this kind of credit or whatever. And obviously Colby had a hard time. I always told Colby, ‘Don’t mention my name, let me go ahead and throw to you, man, and go in the newspapers and say, ‘Mark McGwire is my man, he’s the reason I’m hitting.’ But he don’t know how to lie and I think that’s a key to making it in this business: being able to not tell the truth a lot of the time.”

After reading some comments La Russa made about Colby in newspapers, Rasmus called his son’s agent and told him to ask for a trade.

“Man, he’s not going to keep saying all that stuff without somebody responding to it,” Rasmus told the agent. “So y’all need to get him out of there.”

When Rasmus got word that his son would at last be getting out of St. Louis, he says he “danced a jig around the house.”

“I called him first thing and he was like, ‘That’s an answer to a prayer. Thank goodness.’”

[Joe Shlabotnik]

Tony Rasmus never disappoints.

[vinsanity]

He's playing the same now that he played with us. I don't think the change of scenery has made any significant change in his performance.

He's playing like he did in 2009-2010 but is much improved on his start from last year. Power's up, defense seems better.

I'm not sure who thought he would be Albert Pujols. Didn't most people who knew of his potential want him to be a 20 HR guy with good defense in CF?

[Schlich]

He's playing the same now that he played with us. I don't think the change of scenery has made any significant change in his performance.

He's playing like he did in 2009-2010 but is much improved on his start from last year. Power's up, defense seems better.

I'm not sure who thought he would be Albert Pujols. Didn't most people who knew of his potential want him to be a 20 HR guy with good defense in CF?

And, going further, isn't that what he is? (boneheaded plays aside)

[cards2468]

His insecurity levels are similar to that of Albert Pujols'.

[cpebbles]

I think there was a large segment that expected him to approximate Jim Edmonds' contribution, which he'd do for a week-long stretch every now and then. The idea that this had anything to do with his struggles last year or the front office's willingness to get rid of him is ridiculous. The only person these unreasonable expectations had any relevance to was the old man who took to the message boards to vicariously live through his son when his overbearing presence became unwelcome in the real world.