Tony La Russa said Wednesday that it was his decision to leave the Arizona Diamondbacks because the ballclub’s operations from the front office to the field would function just fine without him.
“It’s not that I can’t contribute,” he said. “It’s that they don’t need it. These guys are sharp.”
La Russa praised General Manager Mike Hazen and the front office staff, calling them “a really unique group of guys.”
“I was really impressed,” he said. “They’re very smart. … They understand all the formulas, but they totally believe in the balance of the hearts beating and how you blend the reality of the dynamic of playing a game that can change inning to inning with the preparation that the metrics provide you.