Most of the things I read about the Rolen trade situation focus on the Cards perspective (how much salary to eat, what we need in return, etc). To the extent the other GM's viewpoint is taken into account, it's whether Rolen is healthy and will return to earlier offensive form.
I haven't seen much, if anything, on the other simple and obvious complicating factor that he may be a headcase. It's kinda, sorta said in a roundabout way. I guess since he doesn't mouth off in front of the camera, the enigma factor remains. But any GM has to take it into account if they are thinking about acquiring Rolen - the guy is 0-2 in getting along with managers. Maybe it's no big deal because he never loafs, but do you really want to gamble with a guy coming off injuries and sub-par seasons who doesn't appear to have been happy on a club where in 5.3 seasons he won four division titles, four NLDS, two pennants and a World Series ring?
I don't know what he does or does not get in the way of respect from La Russa in the clubhouse and really don't give a shit, but it sure as hell seems like there is no respect from him towards the guy who has skippered the team to a fuckwad of success (it's a technical term, you can look it up elsewhere) since 2000. Tony may micro-manage and I piss and moan about him sometimes too, but at some point you have to accept that when we look back on the La Russa era-Cards, it is pretty much as a good run of Cardinal baseball as our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers ever got to witness. Put another way. It sucks to be a Tampa Bay fan.
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