Tony La Russa quotes:

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

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.

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'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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

There are always distractions, if you allow them.

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.

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

Anything that disturbs your comfort factor is good for you.

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.

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

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.

I'm ready to do something different.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.