La Russa Accuses Reds of 'Shenanigans'

Wednesday night, while John Smoltz was in the middle of his worst start with the Cardinals, he could be seen constantly trading balls with the home plate umpire, clearly unhappy with something. After the game ended, he said it was because he felt the balls were improperly rubbed down, causing them to be more slippery than normal and preventing him from getting a proper grip.

The story could've ended there, but apparently Tony La Russa and Dave Duncan have been reading a little bit too much Raymond Chandler lately, because they got their Phillip Marlowe on and after some investigating, are charging the Reds with a larger conspiracy.

Apparently, La Russa actually kept some of the slippery balls from the game and showed them to the Reds' clubhouse attendant tasked with rubbing the game balls down with mud to remove the sheen and create a better grip for pitchers. The attendant denied any wrongdoing, saying the balls "weren't like that" when he finished with them.

Meanwhile, La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan have both charged the Reds' starter from last night, Bronson Arroyo, with keeping pine tar under the brim of his cap, allowing him to get a better grip on the slippery balls and giving him a distinct advantage over Smoltz on the mound.

Arroyo, for his part, has denied doctoring the ball, and I've got to say that while the Cardinals may think they have some circumstantial evidence, I'm really failing to see a motive for this crime here.

The Cardinals have clinched the NL Central. The Reds are in fourth place and could potentially jump to third, but that's not really something worth cheating over. And Smoltz was quite literally the only pitcher to struggle with the balls last night. The Cardinals' relievers only walked one hitter in the five innings after Smoltz departed and the Reds pitchers only walked two in nine innings.

Unless Dusty Baker and Dick Pole have a noted anti-Smoltz agenda, I'm just not sure I understand why the Reds would be doing this now.