Both Tony La Russa and Walt Jocketty, who were together here for 12 years as Cardinals manager and general manager and were the architects of the 2006 World Series champions, stepped aside into subordinate front office roles before this season at Arizona and Cincinnati, respectively.
But the foundations they helped put in place seem as if they might be cornerstones to success in baseball cities which haven’t had much of that lately.
Before the weekend began, the Diamondbacks and Reds were tied with the New York Mets for the best records in the National League at 7-3, with Arizona having beaten American League champion Cleveland three straight and longtime National League power San Francisco four games out of seven.