A “Cubbie Crib” Farewell To Tony La Russa

There is not too many times that St Louis Cardinals news will be covered on Cubbies Crib. Unless of course, the news relates to a certain first baseman who the Cubs may or may not pursue once he hits the free agent market on Thursday. But today is one of those special days. After winning the World Series for the second time since 2006, Tony La Russa announced his retirement today, ending his 33 year–hall of fame–managing career.

As a Cubs fan. I never liked La Russa. For whatever reason, there was something about the manager that never sat well with me. There were countless times where I would be watching a Cubs/Cardinals games. and the disdain I had towards La Russa was greater than that of any Cardinals’ player. Ironically, my favorite anti-La Russa moment came when Cardinal legend, Jim Edmonds, playing for the Cubs hit a home run against the Cardinals and then immediately gloated in front of the Cardinals’ manager.

But the baseball fan in me, realizes that La Russa could very well go down as the greatest manager in the history of major league baseball. Perhaps my disdain towards La Russa was derived from jealousy, and the fact that La Russa has always been one of the most successful managers in the game. Now that he will no longer be patrolling the St Louis dugout, I do think the Cubs and Cardinals rivalry will lack a certain feeling to it. Similar to the White and Cubs rivalry lacking Ozzie Guillen, the Cardinals and Cubs rivalry will never be the same again without Tony La Russa.

So here is a tip of my Cubs’ hat to Tony La Russa and his remarkable accomplishments over the course of his managerial career.