Can You Hear Me Now?

Maybe that's what Tony LaRussa should have said when Derek Lilliquist answered the bullpen phone.  

It's been nothing short of bizarre, keeping up with this ever changing story.  Yesterday I read, listened and watched so many different reports on what happened and the subsequent commentary on what now has been dubbed "Bullpen Gate".  What I find strange is how these stories have evolved with each passing hour.  There are so many inconsistencies and so much finger pointing.  I don't get it. 

From Lilliquist getting the wrong pitchers up, to LaRussa not remembering if he or Dave Duncan called the bullpen to the just as intriguing storyline of whether LaRussa or Albert Pujols called for a hit and run, where does the truth lie?  Not that any of that is important now, the Cardinals lost Game 5 and that's all that really matters.  And while the Cards deal with the circus, the Rangers are quietly and solely focused on Game 6.

What do I find the most humor in?  That all the analysts are shocked that the great Tony LaRussa may have made a mistake.  As the kids say, OMG!  Don't get me wrong, LaRussa is an incredibly smart man and he has a great baseball mind.  But that doesn't make him infallible.  One analyst on the MLB Network even made reference to LaRussa's age.  So now they think he's senile!?!  To me, it looks like the man made some mistakes during the game.  It's that simple.  Oh, and maybe he doesn't want to take all the heat.     

I'm curious about a comment from today's press conference. 

“Some of you don’t know me very well, but it’s been the same philosophy since I started,” LaRussa said. “…Treat the club like a family…I don’t throw this family under the bus…I’d rather take the hit.”

But isn't that what he kind of did to Lilliquist, Duncan and Pujols?