Tony La Russa's one-year anniversary with the Diamondbacks passed very quietly back on May 17. Not even La Russa marked the day of when he officially became the team's chief baseball officer, slotting in below President and CEO Derrick Hall and above then-General Manager Kevin Towers.
"I knew that it was May," La Russa said. "I'd been so busy that I really didn't have it circled on the calendar."
A lot has changed for the Diamondbacks since. On La Russa's say-so, Arizona fired Towers and manager Kirk Gibson, replacing them with current GM Dave Stewart and manager Chip Hale, both newcomers to those titles.