Cardinals manager Tony La Russa knows he took a risk in hiring Mark McGwire as his hitting coach. La Russa expects to distraction to eventually die down. "I definitely was not unaware that some people already judge the fact we can't win because he's going to be a distraction," La Russa said. "As far as I'm concerned, the question is: 'Is he a good enough hitting coach?' " The manager is ready to take all the blame. "I weighed all the pros and cons, and the pros overwhelmed the cons," La Russa said. "I think I was trusted by ownership and our front office that I would make the right judgment, and I would have been disappointed if I wasn't trusted. "If it doesn't work, it's nobody's fault but mine," he said. "You think through it and you take your best shot."