When Tony La Russa retired as Cardinals manager in 2011 following the club’s remarkable World Series championship season, he said that he was through with managing after 33 consecutive years on the job in Chicago, Oakland and St. Louis. But not everybody believed him, especially the man who had hired him in St. Louis in 1995, former Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty.
“I never really thought he was done,” said Jocketty by telephone from Arizona.
“He’s been talking about it for years. He just sees the way things are going in the game and says, ‘I want to get one more shot at this and do it the right way.