Words matter. These are the best Tony La Russa Quotes, and they’re great for sharing with your friends.
It’s easy to figure out whether you’re getting stale. All you’ve got to do is look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.
You can’t manage by memo. You can’t stand up there and just send out edicts. I think you just gotta really personalize your relationships.
Losing sucks. I don’t think most people understand how bad it feels.
The arc of Ken Griffey Jr.’s swing has gotten bigger than when he hit line drives. Juan Gonzalez is a terrific power hitter, too.
Just because you’re down to your last strike, you’re not out yet. You can always do more. You’ll always have more at-bats to take. That’s true in baseball, in rescuing animals, and in life, generally.
We’re all men, not machines. We make mistakes.
In the end, as a manager or coach, you have to keep your heart pure and do your best as a manager or a coach.
What you end up doing is you try to match your guy’s strength against a place they can be successful. They’re doing the same thing against us. Sometimes they have the edge, sometimes you have the edge.
I have coaching friends, and when we get together, we often talk more about what we’re doing to get players’ attention than we do about the fascinating X’s and O’s of our sport.
I was in the American League for 16, 17 years, and I think it’s a really tough league to compete in.
I had started law school at Florida State University as a part-timer. I would go two quarters, and they allowed me to drop out to play baseball, and then I’d get readmitted in September. I was convinced I was going to be a lawyer and was using my baseball salary to pay my way through school.
You know, I think when you coach or you manage, you make decisions, and there’s some that are really, really tough.
My mind is just a product of 50 years of being taught. I’m no smarter than anyone else, but I’ve been taught by some wonderful people.
To me, there is no more conscientious umpire in the Major Leagues than Jim Joyce. He gives you a hellacious effort every time.
It’s a sensitive thing, playing major league baseball.
I’m not going to manage again. I’m going to work for a team someday. But it won’t be managing.
I’m not a big ‘Moneyball’ fan.
You can’t put a price on what Mark McGwire brings to the Cardinals organization. The responsibility he accepts is as great as any number of home runs.
You’ve got to acknowledge what you did wrong and see if you can fix it to the extent possible, and turn the page.
Clubs are taking away the steal of home. Not only are more pitchers throwing out of the stretch position, but more third basemen are playing closer to the bag. But another reason why nobody does it much anymore is that some guys, no matter how fast they are, just aren’t comfortable trying to steal home.
If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back, and sometimes they could have come back, but they give in or give up.
I think each negotiation should be based on what’s the best decision – taking everything into account, not taking one thing into account.
If the national government doesn’t fix your problem, you’ve got a problem. You’ve got to fix it yourself. That’s just part of the American way.
I think the game is so mental. If you sit around and you’re mentally strong, you’re ready.
If you’re a coach, and you don’t have trust with players, you’ve got no chance, and your credibility is zero. And that’s why it’s so important to tell them the truth. If you have something that you’re upset about, tell them the truth. If they’re doing something wrong, tell them the truth.
