Wearing a white polo shirt and a Diamondbacks cap pulled low, Tony La Russa stood between two practice fields, where a pair of minor-league games were unfolding simultaneously. Glancing in front of him, La Russa talked about a catcher he likes with a nice-looking swing. He then motioned to the other field, where there was a third baseman he said might have a chance.
To many, La Russa’s presence at Diamondbacks camp this year is unexpected. Stripped of his powers atop baseball operations at the end of last year’s disappointing season, La Russa did what, it seems, few would have: He stuck around.