LaRussa, Miklasz have BEEF

The Post Dispatch runs an article about why the Cubs will never win the World Series, Tony LaRussa whines about it and refuses to answer questions from Post Dispatch reporters, Bernie Miklasz stands up to him at the news conference, and the exchange becomes heated and has to be finished in a private room. Allow me to renege...maybe this is a soap opera as bad as the Yankees-Red Sox.

But it's not. And, once again, the Cardinals and the Cubs have a barn burner while the Red Sox blow out the Yankees.

LaRussa took offense to the article that ran in the Post Dispatch Friday morning and made his beef with Miklasz in the post game news conference. Who knows why LaRussa had such a problem with it, maybe he really was offended that a high class newspaper would trash a Major League Franchise or perhaps he just doesn't want to upset his little coaching buddy, Lou Pinellia. Who knows? Two men jabbing at each other...Bernie says it happens all the time and the cameras just happened to be rolling tonight.

"These little bouts of silliness occur more than you know, and in every sport," wrote Bernie on his 'Pressbox' board on STLtoday.com. "It's just that the cameras were there this time and made it much bigger than it really is. This was like seeing how sausage is made -- it ain't pretty. But it happens every day."

LaRussa won't say anything. Maybe because he got outmanaged tonight and he's pissed about that, or because the defending champs can't seem to score when they get runners in scoring position. I'd be pissed too.

I think the LaRussa/Miklasz bashing is over though, Bernie has released numerous statements on his "PressBox" about the incident and he claims both men have moved on and this mess is already behind them.

"Do I like Tony? Absolutely.
Do I respect Tony? Absolutely.
Will I allow him or anyone try to intimidate me or other reporters? No.
Is this over? As far as I am concerned, yes."

It may be over between those two grown men but it's far from over on the "Pressbox" board where the same group of ten or eleven guys have stayed up all night hounding Bernie about this, saying they wish "a few of the players would kick his fat ass" and even going to the extent of calling in a death threat to his voicemail at the Post Dispatch.

Can you say childish? Immature? Over-the-line, Sparky?

The thing that gets me though is that Bernie continues to respond to these people on his board as though he feels he needs to defend himself.

"My favorite, so far, is that I 'was trying to get attention.' Why would I need attention?" Bernie wrote. "Like me or not, I think we'd all agree that people in the market know me, and that I've established a name and a career here. I also get pretty regular turns on ESPN, and on some national radio shows."

Wow, Bernie. Sounds like you're getting pissed and protective of your image. In my opinion, the man did his part. He stood up for his colleagues and he stood up for Post Dispatch in general. So Bernie, give it up man. Put it behind you. Don't let these dudes on your board bring you to this level. Whether we like you or not, we don't need to know your press credentials.

I'm a Bernie fan. And having dabbled in the field of sports journalism, I think what he did was right. But I also think, at this point, it's time for him to move on.

Unless, of course, he keeps getting death threats.