La Russa's ride includes 'picture'-perfect ending

Sometimes he seems to overthink situations, like when he called out umpires in a news conference before an NLCS playoff game against Houston last October regarding the strike zone. The manager was worried Houston's Roger Clemens would get calls that his own pitcher wouldn't, but by dragging it out into full public view before the game La Russa came off as a paranoid and over-controlling. Especially when it became a self-fulfilling prophecy and he and Jim Edmonds were ejected later in the game.

Some view him as over-eager to promote himself as the smartest man in the room, such as when he has allowed authors such as Bissinger and Will generous access. But La Russa's interest in things outside the clubhouse, such as books and ideas and topics other than the game, though often viewed with suspicion in incurious baseball clubhouses, is genuine. And his Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) has raised millions and helped immensely in seeing that animals are treated humanely.

That said, this also is true: Nobody -- nobody -- has been more consistent and true to his craft over the decades than La Russa.

"I think it's made all the difference in my game as far as teaching me how to play the game the right way and growing up a lot," said Edmonds, who has played for La Russa in St. Louis for seven seasons after spending the first six years of his career with the California -- and then Anaheim -- Angels. "Respect the game. I learned a lot of things when I was in Anaheim, but I think I was too young at the time to understand everything.

"It's just kind of been the right time for me, the right place at the right time. I think he's a genuine person as far as he really stays consistent with his approach to the game. And most of all, (some) say it's intensity, but I think it's consistency.

"He's just concentrating on what he does every day, and he stays in that same mood every day. His most important thing is to help us get to a situation where we can win."

That's the way it's been ever since the day in October 1995, when Jocketty introduced him to St. Louis as the latest man to whom the treasured clubhouse would be entrusted after La Russa had spent the previous 17 seasons managing Chicago and Oakland in the American League.

Since then, his 977 victories rank second to Schoendienst's 1,049 on St. Louis' all-time list.

Until now, he remained on the outside of that exclusive club of Cardinals who have brought home a World Series title.

"The day he got here, we went out and looked at the flags in the old stadium," Jocketty said. "There were nine of them, and we started talking about winning No. 10.

"That's something we've been talking about for 11, 12 years."

This latest part, the five-game World Series rave-up against Detroit, that wasn't in the book.

But it definitely should be in the movie.