By Matt Snyder

During the broadcast of Sunday night's NLDS Game 2 between the Phillies and the Cardinals, St. Louis manager Tony La Russa noted that the two teams were working with different strike zones, insinuating that Chris Carpenter was being squeezed while Cliff Lee was given a favorable zone. At the time, the Cardinals trailed 4-0, though they would eventually win the game, 5-4.

Philadelphia-St. Louis NLDS

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La Russa also said he would likely get "in trouble" for making the statement. He was correct. He has been fined by an undisclosed amount by the commisssioner's office for the derogatory remarks about home plate umpire Jerry Meals. The amount isn't huge, though, as it's reportedly only "four figures" (St. Louis Post-Dispatch).

La Russa's no stranger to confronting umpires about strike zones. He's notorious for working on the home-plate ump and standing up for his pitchers. Back in the 2005 playoffs, he even complained about the strike zone Astros starter Roger Clemens was going to get before the game even started.

If the report on the fine is true, it's kind of a head-scratcher. There's no way a small fine like that would deter La Russa from making future comments, so what's the point?

Oh, and Tuesday marks La Russa's 66th birthday. Happy birthday, Tony, from Bud Selig. Now don't you dare complain about bad strike zones Tuesday night, lest you be slapped on the wrist again.

UPDATE: When asked if he needed to "get anything off his chest" during Tuesday evening's broadcast, La Russa said "my jaws are wired shut."

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