The Pulse: D-backs’ hiring of Tony La Russa a ‘home run’
May 19, 2014, 6:28 PM | Updated: 6:28 pm
Every day, ArizonaSports.com asks readers a question. It’s the Sanderson Ford Poll Question of the Day, and it can be found midway down the right side of our home page.
On Sunday, May 18, we asked what fans thought of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ hiring of former manager Tony La Russa to be the chief baseball operator of the organization.
With four options from which to choose, and 747 people weighing in, the most popular answer by far was the most positive option: “Home run!” as 482 readers (64 percent) said. Another 20 percent gave a simple round of applause, clicking on “Good hire.”
That left 10 percent of voters who said, “Depends on how much control he has,” and just 6 percent of readers were indifferent, clicking on “Won’t make a difference” — perhaps skeptical of this move being able to change around the perceived stagnant culture in the clubhouse.
The hire seemingly came out of nowhere Saturday, and D-backs players responded positively, while Doug Franz of The Doug & Wolf Show wrote that it’s an important first step for this franchise in trying to turn itself around.
La Russa began his career as a manager in 1979 with the Chicago White Sox and he didn’t let up until 2011 with the St. Louis Cardinals. He has taken teams to three World Series titles, and he is a four-time Manager of the Year. Click here to see some of the other numbers that stand out from his storied career.
