Izzy, La Russa and the Cardinals’ future

Cards closer Jason Isringhausen is struggling again this year. After seemingly having worked through some early problems, he’s been struggling again lately.

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci points out that he’s thrown at least a third more balls than last year. His walks-plus-hits per inning is at a whopping 1.78. Tom wonders if, in fact, he’s hiding an injury.

Meanwhile, Redbird manager Tony La Russa can be loyal to a fault to players he likes. Is it time for a change? My personal feeling is that if Adam Wainwright is going to be kept in the pen in St. Louis rather than starting in AAA, if Izzy continues to struggle, let’s change closers. Wainwright has the intimidating size at 6-7, hot heater and slider. Give him a shot.

And, for that matter, has LaRussa worn thin? He’s been there a decade-plus. Maybe he, or his intensity, have worn thin. He’s struck me as the MLB equivalent of college basketball coach Roy Williams in some ways. It seemed like Williams’ Kansas Jayhawks always burned out come NCAA Tournament time, because of his high-intensity personality. But then, he goes back to North Carolina and smartly NOT as the first coach to follow legendary Dean Smith. He mellows out and wins a title in his first year there.

And, the latest contretemps between him and Ozzie Smith over Ozzie visiting or not visiting the Birds’ spring training reminded me of how poorly L aRussa handled that.

And, for all he’s done to get the Cards into the postseason year after year, could he have done better? I look back at the 1988-90 Oakland A’s and can’t figure how he and the team blew two out of three World Series. I mean, Gibson just had one swing of the bat. And getting swept by the Reds in 1992? Geez.

La Russa’s been in St. Louis 11 years. If they can’t at least get back to the Series this year, even if they don’t win it, maybe it’s time for a change.