"It's not something you think about, or expect," La Russa said.
But one of his former players thought a mid-May tribute was a bit tardy.
Pitcher Dave Stewart, one of horses of La Russa's rotations in Oakland, said during a ceremony prior to the Braves-Cardinals game Friday that the number should have been retired while La Russa was still making out lineup cards.
"This day is long overdue," Stewart said. "Best manager I ever played for."
Groundskeepers cut the grass with a big "10" in short center field in tribute to the 67-year-old La Russa, who managed the Cardinals for 16 seasons and retired after leading a long-shot NL wild-card team to the title.
La Russa wore all three of his championship rings, the two he won with the Cardinals on the right ring finger and pinkie of his right hand. In a media briefing prior to the ceremony, he said he warmed to the idea after the team told him he could invite anyone he wanted.
"I made 15 calls and they all said yes," La Russa said. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate the fact these guys came in from out of town."
More than a dozen players, coaches and front office personnel from La Russa's present and past were on the field for the ceremony that delayed the start of the game. The guest list included Tom Seaver, who won his 300th game with the White Sox under La Russa, along with fellow Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley, who played for La Russa in Oakland and St. Louis.
"He's the smartest manager I ever played for," said former Cardinals shortstop David Eckstein.
Without La Russa's decision to convert him to closer, Eckersley freely acknowledges he wouldn't have made the Hall.
"Tony made a name for himself," Eckersley said. "He deserves this honor and he's going to go to the Hall of Fame, so I'm going to have to do this over and over again."
Original Print Headline: Cardinals retire La Russa's No. 10
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