Gaston deserves a call

That spectacular home run smoked by Albert Pujols the other night, surely one of the dozen most dramatic in major league history, keeps the St. Louis Cardinals ticking at least through tonight. Maybe they’ll come all the way back, beat Houston to reach the World Series and beat the White Sox. That would, numerically, double the genius count for manager Tony La Russa, who has won one World Series title, already, in his big- league managing career.

For now, La Russa remains tied with Bob Cox, another guy routinely lauded for his genius by television types. Cox had won the big prize once, too. The ring records of those two always jump out at this time of year, when the annual dance of the fired managers is held. Does anyone else notice, when vacancies are created and the usual suspects are rounded up to fill them, whose phone never rings?

Cito Gaston notices, too. Ran into him the other day at the service for Tom Cheek, where Gaston was a pallbearer for his good friend.

“ How come I never hear your name when all these jobs come open?’’ Gaston was asked. “ You only have the two World Series rings, though. Is that what’s holding you back?’’ He smiled. He isn’t seeking a job, but he wonders, too. Major league owners and GMs always claim how much they want to win. But when they have an opening, they don’t call a guy with two championships. Names are recycled, such as Jim Leyland, Jim Fregosi, Terry Collins, etc. But no Gaston. Some of this, granted, is his own fault. He turned down a chance to manage the Angels for personal reasons, when they gave the job to Mike Scioscia. He thought he had the White Sox job that went to Ozzie Guillen and he clearly was the choice of GM Ken Williams, who played for Gaston in Toronto ( and who could ever forget Kenny on the basepaths?). Two versions circulate about why Gaston didn’t get the job: One, that he asked for far more money than Ozzie, and two, that Jerry Reinsdorf, the principal owner, wanted to reward his loyal long- term soldiers, such as Guillen, by keeping them in the family rather than bringing in an outsider.

Because Gaston has been out of the managerial loop since 1997 and has turned down at least one job, then, there may be a perception that he’s no longer interested. He’s only 61, the same age as La Russa and three years younger than Cox. With Jack McKeon winning a World Series with Florida in his 70s, age can’t be a factor. So what is? It would be nice to think that skin colour no longer is an issue. Minority managers in the major leagues still may lag behind participation rates, but their very presence should be largely unremarkable at this point. Should be, but if his phone never rings, who can suggest this is not an issue?

Gaston always had his detractors, even while he was winning in Toronto. Like all managers, he needed the right kind of team to handle, in his case a veteran club that knows how to play and requires little on- field tinkering. The critics used to shriek that “ anyone’’ could have managed those Blue Jay teams and won in 1992 and ’ 93. If that’s true, why couldn’t all those terrific Oakland, St. Louis and Atlanta teams find the right “ anyone’’? Much of managing a ball club is about getting guys to play hard for you. Keeping an even- keeled clubhouse and getting production out of the head cases is exactly what Gaston excels at. Strategy, in- game decisionmaking and playing hunches and such is another item entirely and other managers might be stronger, no question. Gaston might not fit every team, but as many World Series rings as Cox and La Russa combined suggest he would fit some team somewhere — if they’d ever think to call.