La Russa's a Difficult Guy to Get to Know I DON't Know Tony La Russa

m fro eAter o^ltv La Russa's A Difficult Guy To Get to Know I DON'T know Tony La Russa. Chances are no one does—except his immediate family. I bet even La Russa's pitching coach. Dave Duncan—whom he affection ately callsDune—doesn't know him inti mately. ^\^lat we know is that La Russa is a great baseballmanager. That isobvious and beyond dispute. What he accomplish ed this season,against great odds, speaks for itself, and that's why he was voted American League Manager of the Year for the third time. We also know that La Russa puts a barrier between himselfand others. It's a polite barrier, like a pane of clean glass. Youcanseehim.but youcan't touch him or find any way to gel inside. BillWalsh, along ^^ithLa Russa the oth er great BayAreacoachofthe lastdecade or so.alsospecializes in cleanglass.Walsh smiles politelyand iscompletely accommo dating. but you don't get to know him. Maybe that's a prerequisitefor being a greatleader—theabilitytokeeppart of yourselfseparate,to refuseto get emotion allyinvolved withthosearound you,to ob serve yourself observing others. These aresome of the things we do know about La Russa. He studies computer printoutsandisa totalmasterof baseball tendencies: which one of his pinch hitters can bat wellagainst Roger Clemensin Bos ton in the month of June when the moon is full and the temperature isover 70. ATeom as Family We also know he's fearless, will actually getintofistfightsto defend hisplayers. He's never come outand actually explain ed this, but his view of a team is almost primitive. Tohim,a teamislikeatribe.All the playersare devotedto eachother—at least,they're supposed to be—and no one ever divulges what goesonin the club house. We also know that La Russa writes let ters tohisplayersduring the offseason. He wants to know how they're doing, and he reminds them to work out regularly, and he reassures them they're part of the A's family. Mostothermanagers will spend huge amounts of time with writers. It's partof the baseball tradition—making small talk to passthe hoursbeforea game.Roger Craigsitsin the dugout beforegamesend lesslydiscussing his horses. WhenFrank Robinson was managing the Orioles, I once met him for breakfast at an Oakland hotel. Wetalked solong that it became lunch- time. so we asked the waitress to clear the breakfast dishes and then we dived right into lunch. The waitress looked at us like we were nuts. That could never happen with La Rus sa. He has too much to do—couldn't con ceive ofgiving that much of himself. The Long Interview Only once I had a long conversation with him. 1went to the Oakland Coliseum early one Sunday morning. La Russa hadn't even changed out of his street clothes yet.While I waited, he put on his COHN: Few Know Real Lo Russo From Page B1 ers of the American League teams, and La Russa has one photo for ev We must have talked for an hour. I ery seasonhe'smanaged. felt privileged. He told me about growing up in Tampa and how The photographs indicate bow sometimes when he didn't have La Russa defines himself. He is a anyone to play baseball with, his member of a selectsociety of man mother would go down with him to agers and be takes pride in this. He an alley that ran alongside their may not personally like all the man house, andshe'd bit him grounders. agers —some he probably can't It seemedas if, for once, he had stand—but he respects the title of taken down the glass barrier. After manager and the responsibility the a while. I noticed that a group of job involves. Whenever a book writers had formed near theedge comesoutabout one of the manag of the dugout. They wanted to talk ers, La Russa immediately reads it becauseit is what he owes to men to La Russa to find out who was in jured and discuss strategy for that who share his exalted profession. day's game—it's common proce La Russa is what they call "a dure. La Russa ignored them. They baseball man." He's a lifer in his became impatient. 1wondered if profession. When he loses, he's sad, La Russa was really Interested In and when he wins, he's as playful as talking to me or if he was making a a child. "Winning is the simplest point with the press, displaying his form of reward." he once told me. independence, demonstrating he couldn't be taken for granted. He takes pride in having a first- ratecoaching staff—he won'tsur I never found out what motivat round himself with flunkies. He ed him. but later we acknowledged bad Jim Lefebvre. who became a to each other that the writers were manager. He had Rene Lache- annoyed, and all he said was, "P— mann. who had been a manager you off, doesn't it?" and just became one again. He has The bestclue to his personality Doug Rader, who has been a man is contained in a series of photo ager. and he has Duncan, who will graphs which hang on the wall of be a manager whenever he decides hisoffice. From a purely esthetic that's what he wants. La Russa is a standpoint, the photos are not in strong man who wantsstrong per teresting. What yousee in each pic sonalitiesaround him. ture isa group of middle-agedmen We may not really know him, wearing baggy suits. In fact, the but whoever he is, he's special. That men in the photos are the manag much we know..

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