Up front I'll say I am a Tony L Russa fan. As a baseball coach I fell in like with him after reading George Will's book, Men at Work. Many times I like to think too much over small details, and baseball gives so many small details to think about. La Russa seems to be the same type of coach. I am nowhere in the same league as La Russa, but I try to learn something every time I read abut him.
One More Strike by La Russa with Rick Hummel is about La Russa's last season managing the St. Louis Cardinals. He had decided to retire mid season, but kept it a secret. Part of the book is about the process he went through to make that decision. It is rare that coaches are given that opportunity and I was curious how that decision evolved.
The unique addition to this is that the Cardinals were down 10 games late in the season and eventually won the World Series. To have an inside version of the story was fascinating, and something I enjoyed reading as a coach. Each season is different for a team and the Cardinals and La Russa proved this in 2011.
The defining of the imperatives La Russa demands of his players and the methods to personalize them with each player was impressive. It was a show of why good coaches are good and being just a bit off is all it takes to finish below first.
Baseball fans will enjoy this book and coaehes will learn from it.
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