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DENVER -- Joe Girardi, of course, is not the first manager to bat his pitcher eighth in the lineup; Tony La Russa did it on a regular basis in 2008, 2009 and 2010. He is not even the first Yankees manager to do it; Casey Stengel did it twice with...

This offseason, nine teams -- the Cubs, Red Sox, Dodgers, White Sox, Phillies, Royals, Rays, Pirates and Reds -- have added a second hitting coach. Several other teams are thinking about hiring an assistant hitting coach before spring training. Befor...

There are so many things to enjoy about this photo, taken in 1991. 1. First of all, what an electric group! Why were Ron Kittle and Ozzie Guillen chosen to pose with four members of the A's? 2. Love Kittle's big 1980s glasses. 3. Jose Cansec...

Former manager Tony La Russa joined First Take to discuss Josh Hamilton, and what might his future be as he enters free agency after this season: How do you look at Josh Hamilton as a free agent? Can he be trusted to deliver consistently? La Ru...

Tony La Russa is an unabashed fan of Albert Pujols, but even his appreciation for Pujols wouldn't have driven him to give the future Hall of Fame slugger a 10-year contract.

La Russa had his No. 10 retired by the Cardinals. Welcome to SportsNation! On Wednesday, legendary MLB manager Tony La Russa stops by to chat about the baseball season, as well as "One Last Strike," his book that hit stores Tuesday. Last season...

Managers such as Dusty Baker, Joe Maddon and Mike Scioscia bring an extra advantage to their jobs: the ability to speak Spanish.

If there's one takeaway where the defending world champs are concerned, it's this: Even wounded, these Cardinals could still fly. Most teams, you scratch a No. 1 starter, a leadoff man and a cleanup hitter, and you might expect them to be long since ...

For a St. Louis Cardinals fan, saying something nice about Johnny Cueto, who in a 2010 brawl literally kicked Jason LaRue out of baseball, is possibly more difficult than complimenting Don Denkinger. (At least Denkinger never meant to hurt anyone.) S...

Getty Images/Associated Press The Mets face (l to r) Tim Hudson, Tommy Hanson and Ben Sheets during a weekend series at Turner Field. METS (46-40, third place/NL East) vs. ATLANTA BRAVES (46-39, second place/NL East) Friday: RHP Chris Young (2-2...

After the NL All-Stars beat their AL counterparts Tuesday in Kansas City, Citi Field now officially is on the clock for the 2013 All-Star Game. The Mets reassemble to hold an afternoon workout Thursday in Atlanta. Today, Jason Bay (concussion) and...

R.A. Dickey surrendered a leadoff single to Mike Trout upon entering with an eight-run lead in the sixth inning, and Trout swiped second base, but the 37-year-old knuckleballer eventually stranded the Angels phenom to post a scoreless frame in his fi...

The drama, the suspense: Will Adam Dunn get into the game or not? Surprisingly, Tony La Russa turns to Diamondbacks rookie Wade Miley to begin the ninth ... but Jonathan Papelbon and Joel Hanrahan are getting loose. So looks like he's going to giv...

Only eight more innings to go! Last time both teams scored at least five runs: 2005. So there's hope this game gets interesting. Especially if Tony La Russa brings in Tim Lincecum. Just a joke there, Giants fans. Take it easy. Relax. Your guys did...

Three days until the Mets resume game action Friday in Atlanta ... Tuesday's news reports: • San Francisco's Matt Cain was announced as the NL's starting pitcher for tonight's All-Star Game by skipper Tony La Russa, not R.A. Dickey. Instea...

Associated Press/Getty Images Tony La Russa picked Matt Cain over R.A. Dickey as the NL All-Star starting pitcher. NL manager Tony La Russa said Matt Cain and R.A. Dickey were "equally legitimate" contenders to serve as the starting pitcher for the...