One of the toughest challenges an athlete ever faces is having to walk away from their sport. Whether from injuries or the inevitable pull of age, all athletes have to accept their mortality at some point and move on. Most are forced to do so, leaving the sport before they are ready. The curtain on their career falling before their grand finale. Sport at all levels is a siren song, calling athletes to come back for "one more year," only to lead them crashing into the shoals of retirement. Many, especially the greats, are unable to let it go, and play well past their prime in pursuit of one more shot at a championship.
Jerry Rice retired as a member of the Denver Broncos, Michael Jordan finished his career with a stint on the Washington Wizards and the jury is still out on whether Brett Favre will come back and play. However, with every rule there are exceptions. There are those who are able to go out at the top of their game with no regrets. The stars who ignore the pleas of the fans and criticisms of the pundits and leave on their own terms. But they are few and far between.
Tony LaRussa, the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, is one such case. He was able to walk away after coming all the back from 100-1 odds and 10.5 games down in September to win the World Series. And after the champagne had been sprayed and the confetti was cleaned up, LaRussa announced he was retiring. There were no gimmicks, no hints at returning and no scandals to escape from. He simply said, "It's just time to do something else."
LaRussa leaves behind a Hall-of-Fame-worthy resume and nearly impossible shoes to fill in St. Louis. Since he started with the ‘Cards in 1996, he won three National League Pennants and two World Series Championships. These were in addition to the three pennants and one World Series title he won with the Oakland Athletics from 1986-1995. He retires with 2,728 victories, which is the third most victories of any manager. LaRussa needs only 36 victories to move into second place, but once again he did not seem to be phased by this. Like Odysseus, LaRussa must have stuffed his ears with wax to avoid hearing the song of the Sirens, beckoning him to return for one last hurrah.
His remarkable achievements as a coach overshadow those as a player — five seasons in the major leagues with a batting average just under the Mendoza line (.199) — and bring to mind the phrase, "those who can, do, and those who can't, coach." But LaRussa's contributions to the game go beyond that of a good manager. He is credited with creating the role of the closer, a pitcher who is only required to come out for one inning, with Dennis Eckersley in Oakland. And even though a faulty telephone connection to the bullpen nearly derailed his Cinderella story, he was known as one of the great tacticians in the game.
While a return to baseball certainly looks doubtful for LaRussa, one can never say never in sports. He may never find the rush that comes from managing when he's in the outside world, but he can take solace in the fact that he left at the top of the game on his terms. And that in itself is quite an accomplishment.
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