Tony La Russa Quotations

Losing sucks. I don't think most people understand how bad it feels.

I'm a great believer in the character of a club. To me, character has a lot to do with how you compete. That creates urgency and toughness. That elevates the talent that you have.

There are always distractions, if you allow them.

I think each negotiation should be based on what's the best decision - taking everything into account, not taking one thing into account.

If you're a coach, and you don't have trust with players, you've got no chance, and your credibility is zero. And that's why it's so important to tell them the truth. If you have something that you're upset about, tell them the truth. If they're doing something wrong, tell them the truth.

You can't manage by memo. You can't stand up there and just send out edicts. I think you just gotta really personalize your relationships.

There's a bigger difference now than when I first got into professional baseball because that was before guaranteed contracts, before there was a lot of money, so it was mostly survival. You had more competition.

In the end, as a manager or coach, you have to keep your heart pure and do your best as a manager or a coach.

It's easy to figure out whether you're getting stale. All you've got to do is look in the mirror and be honest with yourself.

I think there's a growing number of pitchers who want to have a plan going into a game about how they're going to go after that lineup. I'd say 75 percent want to have an idea, and they plan their attack. I know that 75 percent of hitters do not have that same type of plan against a pitcher.

My wife and I, we started a foundation about companion animal rescue, but there's a group called Performing Animal Welfare Society just outside of Sacramento... and they offered me a job as an elephant keeper.

To me, there is no more conscientious umpire in the Major Leagues than Jim Joyce. He gives you a hellacious effort every time.

We're all men, not machines. We make mistakes.

Just because you're down to your last strike, you're not out yet. You can always do more. You'll always have more at-bats to take. That's true in baseball, in rescuing animals, and in life generally.

Anything that disturbs your comfort factor is good for you.

If the national government doesn't fix your problem, you've got a problem. You've got to fix it yourself. That's just part of the American way.

If you try to give them a scheme, most hitters will rebel.

Clubs are taking away the steal of home. Not only are more pitchers throwing out of the stretch position, but more third basemen are playing closer to the bag. But another reason why nobody does it much anymore is that some guys, no matter how fast they are, just aren't comfortable trying to steal home.

If you seriously aspire to be a manager in the big leagues, there is a baseball 'book' that one must learn. Alongside that book, you must practice Spanish. Of 25 players on each roster, sometimes there are between eight and 15 players who speak Spanish.

I don't miss being in the dugout - I'll make that clear.

You know, I think when you coach or you manage, you make decisions, and there's some that are really, really tough.

I'm not going to manage again. I'm going to work for a team someday. But it won't be managing.

It's a sensitive thing, playing major league baseball.

My mind is just a product of 50 years of being taught. I'm no smarter than anyone else, but I've been taught by some wonderful people.

I have coaching friends, and when we get together, we often talk more about what we're doing to get players' attention than we do about the fascinating X's and O's of our sport.

I think the guys that get to the All-Star Game deserve a lot of credit. They deserve their opportunity to get out there and let the baseball fandom see them.

The arc of Ken Griffey Jr.'s swing has gotten bigger than when he hit line drives. Juan Gonzalez is a terrific power hitter, too.

I've been so fortunate in life to have worked for such great organizations, with great owners and general managers and all the great players, along with the support of my family.

I've said this: If Jim Leyland had been in my place, he'd have the 2,000 wins and I'd have 1,000. Leyland is the greatest.

I had started law school at Florida State University as a part-timer. I would go two quarters, and they allowed me to drop out to play baseball, and then I'd get readmitted in September. I was convinced I was going to be a lawyer and was using my baseball salary to pay my way through school.

If you watch the history of baseball, teams come back, and sometimes they could have come back, but they give in or give up.

You can't put a price on what Mark McGwire brings to the Cardinals organization. The responsibility he accepts is as great as any number of home runs.

I'm ready to do something different.

I'm careful not to give into theatrics when times are tough, I don't like it when somebody gives into outside pressure and puts on a show for others.

The best way to win is to play well early or late in the game. The middle part tends to take care of itself.

I'm very distressed that the report was leaked early so that the initial headline said 'dismissed, fired.' That's 180 degrees from the arrangement we have potentially.

You can be stupid once, but idiotic to do it again. I'll settle for being stupid

The game has never seen a better catcher than YADIER MOLINA.

The thing I learned when I was playing was that your best way of winning was to make it difficult for the other team to score in the last three innings.

It's a really neat and special coincidence, but it's nothing but a coincidence. This wasn't set up to give Matt that honor. It's just the way it worked out. It's a neat extra.

Toughest thing for me as a young manager is that a lot of my players saw me play. They know how bad I was.

We never quit trying. I know that's kind of corny, but the fact is we never quit trying. The dugout was alive even when we were behind. And sometimes it works.

Being involved in competition is a privilege and an opportunity. Seek to make the most of that opportunity by pushing yourself to the limit of your abilities. When it is over, you will have earned the respect of your opponents, your coaches, and yourself.

Pressure comes when someone calls on you to perform a task for which you are unprepared.

Play the game right. If you play the game intelligently and execute the fundamentals, you can win.

Even when you have three strikes, you're still not out. There is always something else you can do.

It's like most anything. If you want to be a loser, there's always a way to dwell on the negative. If you want to win, there's always a way to think positively.

I'm a great believer in the character of the club. To me, character has a lot to do with how you compete. That creates urgency and toughness. That elevates the talent that you have.