The Jilted La Russa

"He’s a jilted lover in the sense and from what I’ve heard they thought he (Edgar) was a lock to go back to St. Louis. And they were disappointed."
-- Curt Schilling on Tony La Russa

Curt Schilling stands by his statements on WEEI's Dennis and Callahan:

CS: “I felt the way I stated yesterday, I felt that from jump street, but it was a topic of conversation when some other guys read it and I think to a man we all kind of felt the same way. Obviously what I said yesterday has been extrapolated ten-fold here on the drama scale, but I meant it. I really like Tony, he’s a great manager. I’ve heard a lot of great things about playing for him. I’ve known him personally. Having said that I stand by what I said yesterday as a far as what I think and how I think that whole time period that he made those comments. I thought there were some issues with that.

Gerry Callahan: He sounds like he feels burned, and I don’t necessarily (CS: yeah) blame him. I think he feels like he went to the mat for Renteria in St. Louis and thought he had him.

CS: Yeah, whoever brought that point up yesterday was pretty close to being right. He’s a jilted lover in the sense and from what I’ve heard; Edgar was, they thought he was a lock to go back to St. Louis. And they were disappointed. It’s unfortunate. I don’t know if Tony thought about what he was saying before he said it. I would guess, knowing him, that in hind sight looking back on what he said and how it’s kind of played out that he’s probably not real happy he did it.

He (Edgar’s) a high energy guy from a competitive standpoint. He wants to be on a good team. He wants to be in a good situation. And I’m guessing he had that in St. Louis. I’m not sure he came here for the bottom dollar if you talk to him. I think this was just a much more charged atmosphere to play baseball in and I think he enjoys that. I think contrary to what was said, you know that’s the other thing, because Tony said it doesn’t make it fact. That doesn’t mean that’s exactly how Edgar is. I’m sure he feels that he has a little more insight than most and rightly so but I don’t see that in Edgar given what I’ve seen talking to him and dealing with him I see a guy who competitively plays on the edge emotionally. …I don’t think he’s sitting in there saying ‘God, I’m glad we’re on the road.” It is what it is and he’s got to get out of it. And fans are gonna be the fans that they normally are until he does. …Yeah (there’s added pressure) but it’s not because of the boos. It’s because you’re not doing what you normally thin you should be doing and you’ve got a clubhouse full of guys whose opinion of you is a very big deal. The boos you hear, they do a lot less than people think to most. They absolutely affect people, they affect me. You’re human. You don’t want to be booed… You hear it. There’s just no way you don’t hear it but I don’t see the effect on guys to the extent that you guys might think that bothers people. …In Boston they boo because you’re not doing what they want you to do and as players you deal with it.

GC: Are you worried that you’ll have to go through the same thing with La Russa that you went through with Piniella here. ‘Schilling Lashes Out at La Russa’ is the headline on Boston Dirt Dogs this morning, are you afraid you might have to have a little private conversation, phone call with La Russa like you did with Piniella?

CS: I’m… no… could be. I mean I didn’t feel like I need to call a psychologist to talk me down yesterday. And I made it clear I’ve always liked Tony. I have a lot of respect for him. I think he’s a great guy. I know Tony very well. I see Tony in the wintertime all the time. There’s some things that happen charity-wise out in Arizona he’s always at but I don’t think I was even remotely wrong in what I said about where he put Edgar. I think people would agree.

GC: He was very smart about it though which is no surprise he’s a smart guy but he didn’t beat him over the head with a hammer. It was a very subtle dig and he did set him up, I agree with you I said it before that he put him in a bad spot that he, I don’t want to say caused this, but he certainly didn’t help matters for his old friend Edgar.

CS: I really didn’t see the subtleness. I thought it was very direct, very precise. There’s only one way to look at that. I mean if you’re not Edgar. How do you look good coming out of that. I think it’s impossible unless… especially given the fact, if Edgar had been hitting .320, Tony would never said it.

GC: And saying a guy has no place to hide, implies that he’s looking for a place to hide.

CS: Right, right. It’s a lose-lose for Edgar on that one.