After 33 seasons as a big-league manager and three World Series championships, the man who mastered pitching changes is giving himself the hook. St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, 67, announced his retirement on Oct. 31, fresh off the Cards' exhilarating World Series victory over the Texas Rangers. La Russa, who has a law degree, could seem arrogant, and his in-game tinkering drove some fans nuts. But his deployment of late-inning relief specialists, some tasked with retiring only a single batter, changed baseball strategy forever. And La Russa won. This hook is well earned.
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