Cards manager La Russa passionate animal advocate

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Inside Tony La Russa's northern California home there are more dogs and cats than positions on the baseball field.

In a recent interview, the St. Louis Cardinals manager counted a dozen - half of them permanent residents and the other half benefiting from loving foster care while awaiting adoption. A rabbit, he remembered, made it 13.

The number always changes, depending on the need, and La Russa always has room for one more. All are ready to give him a royal welcome whenever he's home. Well, maybe not the rabbit.

"It's hard to keep track of it," La Russa said. "I'm not there very much, but they know me. They're wonderful."

The affection flows both ways.

La Russa often hangs his cap on a bust in memory of his most treasured pet, a retriever named Rez, that sits at the front of his desk at Busch Stadium. At old Busch Stadium, to the manager's delight, a spotted pooch that belonged to one of the owners often claimed one of La Russa's easy chairs.

The best way to lighten the mood of a man so intense that he still gets confrontational dealing with your everyday, garden-variety, regular-season loss?

Naturally, inquiring about his pet project.

In 1991, La Russa and his wife Elaine founded the Animal Rescue Foundation to find homes for abandoned animals while educating the public about the importance of spay and neutering programs.

"He's very passionate about ARF," Cardinals general manager John Mozeliak said. "It's one of the many things people don't see about Tony.

"We all see the driven baseball side, but there's another side."

La Russa's celebrity helps generate donations and corporate sponsorships, not to mention show business types serving the cause. Twin "Stars to the Rescue" events are being held Saturday near ARF headquarters in Walnut Creek, Calif., and Jan. 18 in St. Louis, with each expected to raise funds in excess of six figures.

The Internet ad for the event depicts a puppy and kitten resting in a baseball glove, just behind a ball carrying La Russa's signature.