Tony LaRussa extends contract

ESPN reports that Tony La Russa will return to manage the St. Louis Cardinals during the next season.

Tony La Russa will return as manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Saturday night, citing unnamed sources.

La Russa told the Post-Dispatch he had not discussed a contract with team chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. But he expects to have a decision soon.

"I'm coming to an understanding of what I'm doing and intend to get it settled one way or the other shortly," La Russa told the Post-Dispatch.

La Russa, who during the offseason lives in Alamo, Calif., east of Oakland, was scheduled to arrive in St. Louis for a Bruce Springsteen concert Sunday night.

La Russa is the Cardinals' winningest manager (1,232 games). He ranks third all-time with 2,552 managerial wins behind Connie Mack and John McGraw. He led the Cardinals to a World Series title in 2006.

The 65-year-old La Russa has been mulling his future since the NL Central champion Cardinals were swept in the division series by the Los Angeles Dodgers on Oct. 10. His two-year, $8.5 million contract expires at the end of the month.

A seperate report confirms McGwire's joining the staff.

Sources said Hal McRae, the team's hitting coach, has been fired. Mark McGwire, the former Cardinals slugger, is expected to replace him.

Mark McGwire to replace Hal McRae as hitting coach?

That seems to be the latest from FanHouse. McGwire has been rather private since his appearance before Congress a few years ago.

Mark McGwire will end his baseball exile and accept a position with the St. Louis Cardinals as their hitting coach, a Cardinals source confirmed to FanHouse's Ed Price Sunday afternoon. He'll replace Hal McRae, who's held the position for five years. The story initially appeared on Brian McRae's Twitter account, though it's since been deleted.

McGwire played 4 1/2 seasons with St. Louis, in which he hit 220 home runs and briefly set the single-season MLB record with his 70 homers in 1998. Of course, since then he's been surrounded by steroid rumors and has more or less dropped entirely off of the baseball radar after his Congressional testimony in 2005.

This news seems to make it pretty clear that Tony La Russa, who's been close with McGwire after managing him both in Oakland and St. Louis, should be back in 2010 as the Cardinals manager. There was initially some question about that, but a report by Joe Strauss Sunday morning pointed pretty strongly towards La Russa's return. It's hard to imagine any way McGwire accepts this job without La Russa in St. Louis.

I know I'm slacking...

Here goes some more recaps...

September 11, 2009
Atlanta 1, St. Louis 0
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (14-10)

September 12, 2009
Atlanta 7, St. Louis 6
Losing pitcher - Ryan Franklin (2-3)

The Cards move on to a 84-59 record.

September 14, 2009
Florida 6, St. Louis 11
Winning pitcher - Blake Hawksworth (4-0)

September 15, 2009
Florida 2, St. Louis 1
Losing pitcher - Adam Wainwright (18-8)

September 16, 2009
Florida 5, St. Louis 2
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (14-11)

The Cards move to 85-62 on the season.

September 18, 2009
Chi. Cubs 2, St. Louis 3
Winning pitcher - Ryan Franklin (3-3)

September 19, 2009
Chi. Cubs 1, St. Louis 2
Winning pitcher - Ryan Franklin (4-3)

September 20, 2009
Chi. Cubs 6, St. Louis 3
Losing pitcher - Mitchell Boggs (2-3)

The Cards finish the series against the Cubs for the year and move to 87-63 on the season.

September 21, 2009
St. Louis 7, Houston 3
Winning pitcher - Kyle Lohse (6-8)

September 22, 2009
St. Louis 11, Houston 2
Winning pitcher - Joel Pineiro (15-11)

September 23, 2009
St. Louis 0, Houston 3
Losing pitcher - John Smoltz (3-7)

The Cards finish the series 89-64 on the season.

September 25, 2009
St. Louis 1, Colorado 2
Losing pitcher - Trever Miller (4-1)

September 26, 2009
St. Louis 6, Colorado 3
Winning pitcher - Adam Wainwright (19-8)
SV - Ryan Franklin (38)

September 27, 2009
St. Louis 3, Colorado 4
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (6-9)

The Cards finish the series at 90-66 on the season.

September 29, 2009
St. Louis 2, Cincinnati 7
Losing pitcher - Joel Pineiro (15-12)

September 30, 2009
St. Louis 1, Cincinnati 6
Losing pitcher - John Smoltz (3-8)

October 1, 2009
St. Louis 13, Cincinnati 0
Winning pitcher - Chris Carpenter (17-4)

The Cards move on to 91-68 on the season.

October 2, 2009
Milwaukee 12, St. Louis 6
Losing pitcher - Kyle McClellan (4-4)

October 3, 2009
Milwaukee 5, St. Louis 4
Losing pitcher - Kyle Lohse (6-10)

October 4, 2009
Milwaukee 9, St. Louis 7
Losing pitcher - Todd Wellemeyer (7-10)

The Cards finish the season with a 91-71 record. They won the NL Central and face the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight in the NLDS.