Farewell

Tony La Russa was no ordinary manager. Does it come as any surprise that he didn't retire in an ordinary way?  For those living under a rock: Tony La Russa announced today that he is officially retiring from managing the St. Louis Cardinals. Bittersweet, for both him and us. In fact, La Russa became the first manager in the history of the game to retire immediately after winning a World Series.

 The man led the Cardinals from 1995, winning 2 World Series titles and another NL Pennant. He will be sorely missed. His departure also signals the end of the Dave Duncan era in St. Louis. There is a possibility that Dunc' will stick around for one last season in 2012, but that would certainly be his last. We'll miss you Tony. A lot. 

AP

So this leads us to an important question, who's next? Jose Oquendo is the in-house option, raised under the tutelage of TLR. Terry Francona is the biggest name out there and offers championship experience, though was recently fired by the Boston Red Sox. However, The Hometown Discount has other ideas. Joe Maddon, currently at the helm of the Tampa Bay Rays, is my #1 choice and prediction. He still has one year left on his deal with the Rays, so details would need to be worked out. Maddon grew up a fan of the Blues, Bilikens and Cardinals and had previously expressed interest in working for the Cards. 

Whoever takes over, we can only hope for one thing and one thing only: The next manager does Tony proud.