Come To Think Of It: Cardinals Fans Can Expect Tony LaRussa to Return as Manager

I know that his his contract is up, and that Tony LaRussa's St. Louis Cardinals have just been swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, one can expect the Cards skipper to return in 2010.

His longtime pitching coach, Dave Duncan, is another story. You can expect him to leave the organization and break with his manager for next season, as his disputes with Cardinal management over the way they treated his son, Chris Duncan, may be too much for him to forgive.

I realize that LaRussa's former GM, Walt Jocketty, is in Cincinnati, so the speculation is rampant that he may be leaning toward the Reds as his next destination.

Phil Rogers reports that owner Bob Castellini is less than enamored with manager Dusty Baker. But after 30 years as a manager, here is what the Cards' dugout leader had to say:

“I’ve never doubted the club’s commitment—ever,” La Russa said early Saturday afternoon. “The question is whether I want to go for a 31st year.”

Meanwhile, general manager John Mozeliak has said he expects La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan to be back for a 15th season.

Let's face it, LaRussa needs about three more seasons to pass John McGraw for the second spot on the managers' all-time wins list.

Still, he just turned 65 last week and after such a disappointing end to the season, maybe he retires, takes a season off and returns to a fresh challenge somewhere else.

I definitely think that LaRussa still has the fire to continue managing, and that he will ply his trade in St. Louis, at least for one more season. How he will fare without his pitching coach is another thing entirely.

We've seen supposedly great pitching coaches flame out elsewhere. The most notable example is Braves coach Leo Mazzone, who went to the Orioles and never regained the success he had with Atlanta.

So even if Duncan leaves the Cardinals, you can expect LaRussa to carry on, especially if he receives assurance that they will try to re-sign Matt Holliday and lock up Albert Pujols.

Meanwhile, we've heard that Tony has said that managing the Cubs would be a challenge, and given that this may be Lou Piniella's last season, it is not too far-fetched that Tony signs a one-year deal and then decides to go to the Cubs. But Ryne Sandberg seems to have a lock on that job after Lou retires.

Regardless of what happens, don't expect someone as intelligent as Tony LaRussa to make a snap decision without thinking this all the way through.

For better or worse, LaRussa will probably still be wearing a Cardinals uniform next season, come to think of it.