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Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} One Last Strike by Tony La Russa One Last Strike. One Last Strike by legendary baseball manager Tony La Russa is a thrilling sports comeback story. La Russa, the winner of four Manager of the Year awards—who led his teams to six Pennant wins and three World Series crowns—chronicles one of the most exciting end-of-season runs in baseball history, revealing with fascinating behind-the-scenes details how, under his expert management, the St. Louis Cardinals emerged victorious in the 2011 World Series despite countless injuries, mishaps, and roadblocks along the way. Talking candidly about the remarkable season—and his All-Star players like Albert Pujols and David Freese—the recently retired La Russa celebrates his fifty years in baseball, his team’s amazing recovery from 10 ½ games back, and one final, unforgettable championship in a book that no true baseball fan will want to miss. From the Back Cover: The team that refused to give up their manager in his final season A comeback that changed baseball. After thirty-three seasons managing in Major League Baseball, Tony La Russa thought he had seen it all—that is, until the 2011 Cardinals. Down ten and a half games with little more than a month to play, the Cardinals had long been ruled out as serious postseason contenders. Yet in the face of those steep odds, this team mounted one of the most dramatic and impressive comebacks in baseball history, making the playoffs on the night of the final game of the season and going on to win the World Series despite being down to their last strike—twice. Now La Russa gives the inside story behind this astonishing comeback and his remarkable career, explaining how a team with so much against it was able to succeed on baseball's biggest stage. Opening up about the devastating injuries, the bullpen struggles, the crucial games, and the players who made it all possible, he reveals how the team's character shaped its accomplishments, demonstrating how this group came together in good times and in bad to become that rarest of things: a team that actually enjoyed it when the odds were against them. But this story is much more than that of a single season. As La Russa, the third-winningest manager in baseball history, explains, their season was the culmination of a lifetime spent studying the game. Laying bare his often scrutinized and frequently misunderstood approach to managing, he explains his counterintuitive belief in process over result, present moments over statistics, and team unity over individual talent. Along the way he shares the stories from throughout his career that shaped his outlook—from his first days managing the Chicago White Sox to his championship years with the Oakland A's, to his triumphant tenure as St. Louis's longest-serving manager. Setting the record straight on his famously intense style, he explores the vital yet overlooked role that his personal relationships with his players have contributed to his victories, ultimately showing how, in a sport often governed by cold, hard numbers, the secret to his success has been surprisingly human. Speaking candidly about his decision to retire, La Russa discusses the changes that he'd observed both in the game and in himself that told him, despite his success, it was time to hang up his spikes. The end result is a passionate, insightful, and remarkable look at our national pastime that takes you behind the scenes of the comeback that no one thought possible and inside the mind of one of the game's greatest managers. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title. We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks web sites. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the Ask bookseller a question link to contact us and we'll respond within 2 business days. Name: Al Denison Address: 88 Cashew Blossom Drive San Jose. Shipping costs are based on books weighing up to 3.25 lbs. If your book order is heavier or oversized, we may contact you to let you know extra shipping is required. Tony La Russa punishing Yermin Mercedes is everything that's wrong with baseball. The Chicago White Sox are one of the best teams in MLB this season and are currently taking on a bottom-feeder in the Minnesota Twins. Fans in Minnesota witnessed a total disaster Monday night as the White Sox took home a 16-4 win. Things got so bad that Willians Astudillo had to come in and pitch. At one point he threw a total meatball to Yermin Mercedes just to get a strike. Naturally, Mercedes sent the pitch to the moon for an easy home run. For some reason this enraged those raving about "unwritten" rules. Tony La Russa seems to be in that camp as he made it clear Mercedes would be punished. Tony La Russa was 'upset' that Yermin Mercedes hit a home run on a 3-0 count last night in a blowout win. "He made a mistake. There will be a consequence he has to endure here within our family." — Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) May 18, 2021. Tony La Russa punishing Yermin Mercedes is an absolute joke. Talk about a great way to alienate yourself from a clubhouse of players. La Russa is mad at Mercedes for doing his job? The Twins are a professional baseball team the last time we checked and the White Sox batters are not supposed to take it easy on them. La Russa even saying anything negative proves he remains a problem. That whole mindset of not playing hard the entire game needs to go away. He should be rewarding Mercedes for continuing to play hard at a time when the game is already over. Also, hitting a home run is much different than stealing a base when up 10 runs. La Russa is trying to be a tough guy, but it appears Mercedes is still in the lineup Tuesday. Also should be noted Mercedes is in the lineup tonight. https://t.co/8MPGGhMXLh — Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) May 18, 2021. The Twins are an absolute mess and that is not anyone in Chicago's problem. Mercedes is also a player who worked hard to land this role with the White Sox. Asking him to slow down and let opposing position players get easy strikes is such a backward way of thinking it hurts. What I’m Reading: “One Last Strike” by Tony La Russa with Rick Hummel. In “One Last Strike: Fifty Years in Baseball, Ten and a Half Games Back, and One Final Championship Season,” Tony La Russa looks back at what he believed would be his final season as a major-league manager. The 2011 Cardinals team was, of course, a great team to write a book about, with strong personalities and an incredible story to tell. The book is at its best when it’s sharing stories about the players. La Russa’s obvious affection for role players like Gerald Laird and Arthur Rhodes provides a bright spot, and Raphael Furcal’s despondency following a key late-season was a detail I hadn’t heard before. It also was interesting to read about the discussions taking place between La Russa and his staff and John Mozeliak as the trade deadline approached. La Russa doesn’t get into many specifics about the trade of Colby Rasmus to the Blue Jays, but he does discuss the question the team confronted as the trade deadline approached – if the Cardinals traded Rasmus for role players who could help them that season, did the team have enough talent to compete for a championship? Ultimately, La Russa and his staff believed that they did, and the rest was history. La Russa’s personality is evident throughout the book, so your mileage may vary. It’s his book, of course, so he addresses issues and controversies in his own way. If you feel that La Russa was condescending during his postgame press conferences, this book won’t change your mind. At times, he’s a bit curmudgeonly and defensive. He says that fatigue of dealing with the media was a major part of his decision to retire. He takes a brief segue to rehash his longstanding dispute with Ozzie Smith, going out of the way to point out that Ozzie’s final season became a farewell tour after he announced his retirement, while La Russa kept his retirement a secret to keep it from becoming a distraction. He also defends himself from the common critique that he doesn’t particularly like using young players, and defends his relationship with Rasmus by pointing out that he asked the team’s veterans to take Rasmus under their wing. La Russa’s defense of his first DUI (much like his initial defense of the second) is particularly uninspiring, as he recounts that police officers had found him stopped at a red light, asleep. “Evidently, I’d had too much wine and failed the breath test.” Evidently, indeed. With the recent news of another DUI, La Russa’s careful framing to avoid responsibility is grating. As a manager, he obviously looks at the game with a unique perspective, plotting out potential moves well in advance, and he brings that thought process to recounting the 2011 season.

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