Whether it was John Elway or Jerome Bettis walking away from the game after winning the Super Bowl, not much compares to seeing a sports figure leave the game on top. Tony La Russa may not be a player, but seeing him leave after managing for 33 years following his third World Series title is pretty cool.
La Russa says he began thinking about retiring midway through the summer. He says the team’s wild card and World Series run were coincidental. He also said he won’t be back, but he wouldn’t rule out another job in baseball.
La Russa is 67 years old and seems to be pretty sharp, so this was unexpected. The man seems perfectly capable of continuing to manage in the bigs.
Because he just won a World Series and retired unexpectedly, his name will be popular when openings are mentioned. Will he resist all overtures? He’ll probably have a lot of opportunities to turn down, so that won’t be easy. Maybe he will stay true to his retirement plans. If he does, he’ll leave the game having won three World Series, six pennants, and four Manager of the Year awards. He’s third all time in career wins as a manager.
And now he doesn’t have to worry about bullpen phones not operating properly.
