La Russa falls asleep at the wheel... DUI

[downsouthcubbie]

Police found the Card's manager asleep at the wheel of his SUV while sitting through two cycles of a green light.

[NeifiPerezMVP2007]

Despite any feelings about drunk drivers, ha ha ha ha. I don't like La Russa, he's a great manager but I really don't like him. If I ever go to a Cards game when he is managing, I'll have a sign asking Tony for a beer!!!

[CubsFan23]

This could be the beginning of the Downfall for the Cards!!!!

[bringbacktuffy]

Sad. The Cards are usually a class organization (not necessarily their fans) so yeah, this could have some Karma attached to it. It is a little funny, Im glad he didnt kill anyone.

[ChinMusic22]

He really does want to be like Billy Martin...

[DLee25]

:D:D:D HAHAHAHA Hilarious. I have never liked that guy.

[BigZ38]

I personally can't stand the guy. Something about him just gets under my skin. I find this quite amusing.

[CubsFan23]

It is very funny, but on the ather hand sad and bothersome. It worries me because someone could have been seriously injured.

[Webgem]

Cards org. will give him pass.....what a loser IMO.

[BigZ38]

If someone had gotten hurt or killed he should have been punished severly. But as long as nothing serious happened I can't help but sit back and think, "What a dumb A**."

[CUBScrazy22]

It's funny how you can be smart enough to manage a team to the world series and win, but have absolutely no common sense. :)

[Brutus T Manstrength]

Yeah.. Rome ripped him a new one. Not that he needed it after his night in the big house..

[HOLYCOW!25]

I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the on ESPN.com. Hilarious.

[diehardnorthsider]

Boy they are eating this up over on the cubs.com board!!! funny stuff!!! For a good chuckle head on over to thesmokinggun.com, they have his mug shot on there.

Heres the link

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/larussamug1.html

[ARamfan]

Boy they are eating this up over on the cubs.com board!!! funny stuff!!! For a good chuckle head on over to thesmokinggun.com, they have his mug shot on there.

Heres the link

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/larussamug1.html

Thanks for the link. It may sound ornery of me, but I got a good laugh out of it! :D Also, thanks for using it as your avatar, very clever. ;)

[diehardnorthsider]

Thanks for the link. It may sound ornery of me, but I got a good laugh out of it! :D Also, thanks for using it as your avatar, very clever. ;)

You are welcome, I saw it and I just couldn't resist using it as my avatar:)

[Webgem]

I thought Card fans were supposed to be smart.:rolleyes:


Defending La Russa indefensible

March 25, 2007
BY CAROL SLEZAK Sun-Times Columnist
Tony La Russa was arrested on a drunken-driving charge, and St. Louis Cardinals fans responded by giving him a standing ovation. I'm trying to figure out a way to make this OK.

According to the Palm Beach (Fla.) Post, one fan yelled out, ''Don't worry about it, Tony.'' Others asked La Russa for his autograph. Some reportedly were mad that he was arrested, thinking the cops should have let him go.

Are these people out of their minds? La Russa is not the victim here; he was the bad guy.

I read the police report posted on the Palm Beach Post's Web site. It says La Russa was found ''slumped behind the wheel'' of his sport utility vehicle, seemingly asleep, at an intersection early Thursday in Jupiter, Fla. He was in the left-hand turn lane and was ''partly in the intersection.'' The SUV was in drive, and its engine was on. (La Russa's foot was on the brake.) The undercover cop who came upon La Russa put his patrol car in front of La Russa's SUV to keep it ''from moving forward any further into the intersection.'' The cop then knocked on La Russa's window ''several times'' to get his attention.

According to the report, when La Russa came to, ''his eyes were glassy, his speech was slurred'' and he reeked of alcohol. During a roadside sobriety test, he ''almost fell backwards'' twice while trying to stand on one leg. He couldn't recite the alphabet without making several mistakes: ''a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, i, z, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, v, z, t, u, v ... x, y, z with a pause.''

The report says the time was 12:26 a.m. Nearly an hour and a half later, at 1:47 a.m., La Russa had a .093 blood-alcohol level on a Breathalyzer test. The legal limit in Florida is .08.

And after all this, La Russa is cheered? I don't get it. Do these people think drunken driving is cool? Funny? Acceptable? No big deal? OK if you're coming off a World Series championship?

Thank goodness La Russa didn't kill someone.

Maybe Cardinals fans are no different than anyone else. Maybe if Cubs manager Lou Piniella found himself in a similar situation, Cubs fans would respond with a standing ovation. Maybe. I sure hope they'd know better.

Ozzie Guillen knows better. The White Sox' manager addressed this situation in an appropriate manner.

''The news wakes you up,'' Guillen said. ''It can happen to anyone -- or me. I'm not going to sit here and laugh or make fun.''

La Russa, too, seems to understand the gravity of the situation. He should -- he's a lawyer. But while his embarrassment seemed genuine and his apology sincere, the apology didn't go far enough.

''I apologize to anyone who is close to me, members of the Cardinals' organization, our fans,'' La Russa said. ''I regret it, take responsibility and I'm not sure there is anything else I can say.''

I can think of a couple of things he could have said. He could have made a point of addressing impressionable young baseball fans across the country who one day will turn 16, get their licenses and think they can drive drunk because La Russa did. And he could have apologized to the police for wasting their valuable time. Because if people would quit driving drunk, the police could busy themselves fighting other kinds of crime.

La Russa also described the fans' ovation as ''a really nice gesture'' when he should have said he didn't deserve their cheers. But he was tired and hung over when he talked with reporters only hours after being released from jail Thursday and probably wasn't thinking straight. I offer this as an explanation, not an excuse. How to explain the fans' behavior, though? What kind of mentality would make someone cheer for a drunken driver? What strange thinking would make someone want to turn the bad guy into a martyr?

One Cardinals fan told the Palm Beach Post: ''The guy won us a World Series. ... It took us 21 years to get us that World Series. You think we're going to be upset with him because he got a DWI?'' Another fan said ''it's not that big of a deal'' and ''people blow it out of proportion.'' Another said: ''I was more appalled by the whole idea of him getting [a DWI]. They could have let him go. I don't think the cops needed to give him [a DWI]. Follow him home. Big deal.''

I am certain none of these people has lost a loved one or friend because of the actions of a drunken driver. But that's no excuse for their ignorance.

La Russa isn't stupid, and he still has a chance to make this OK. He should consider making a public-service announcement about drunken driving. He can explain to his adoring fans why he got exactly what he deserved from the police and why he didn't deserve a standing ovation.

[ARamfan]

Thanks for posting this Webgem. I'm pretty shocked that Cards fans would give him a STANDING OVATION! :mad: I didn't know Cards fans could be this stupid. Just think what it says to all of the impressionable teenage fans. :( IMO LaRussa definitely needs to turn this around by doing a public service announcement about the seriousness of what he did. And just because he brought them a WS Championship, he in no way deserves to be excused from receiving the same punishment as any other DRUNK DRIVER would receive!

[diehardnorthsider]

I love the fact that they think the cops should have let him go. GREAT IDEA CLOWNS!!! Here is a little slap on the hand Tony, now go crash into a minivan full of kids. GET A CLUE IDIOTS.

[Webgem]

I so PO'd when I read this this morning...:mad:

[bringbacktuffy]

Wow. That's apalling. What would they be saying if he had hurt someone? It's no big deal, he only ruined someone's life? Ridiculous. No big deal? It's a CRIME. Jesus, when are people going to stop raising celebrities to above the law status? If that had been any of us we would have sat in jail all night, lose our licsences and done community service. Not Tony however. Just stupid. As much as I love baseball, players and coaches are not above the law. Is MLB doing anything about it?

[downsouthcubbie]

I don't know how much truth there is to it but I have read accusations that Tony is battling a pain killer addiction. Anyone else heard this??