Inside Baseball: Tony La Russa's transition

It felt weird seeing Tony La Russa in New York on Monday, at a time when he's supposed to be in spring training. Of course, retirement affords such luxuries to the 67-year-old, who called it a managerial career after his Cardinals captured the 2011 World Series.

La Russa was promoting his appearance in MSG's "The Lineup," an eight-episode show that discusses the greatest and worst Yankees and Mets trades and free-agent signings. He's also very involved in ARF, the Animal Rescue Foundation, which he founded in 1991.

Yet baseball remains strongly in baseball's blood, and as I chatted with him at the MSG party, he made clear that he intended to stay in the game actively.

"I'm ready to work in a front office," he said. La Russa spent time in Lakeland, Fla., with the Tigers, thanks to his longtime friendships with manager Jim Leyland and Dave Dombrowski, and he particularly enjoyed learning alongside Dombrowski.

La Russa would be a natural "special adviser," or whatever fancy title he desires, for any club.

I asked La Russa how tough it was to step down knowing that, with 2,728 career victories, he was just 35 short of John McGraw, who ranks second all-time behind Connie Mack (3,731). Just one more season, and he could have sat at that No. 2 perch.

He admitted that his wife and daughters wanted him to stay on the job. "But you can't come back for that reason," he said. He simply lacked the fire, after getting just a 19-game breather in 1986 (between his firing by the White Sox and his hiring by the Athletics) from Aug. 2, 1979 through last season.

Power lunch

La Russa is accompanied in "The Lineup" by agent Scott Boras, who is based in Southern California. While in New York, Boras had lunch with Marvin Miller, former executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Boras glowed in discussing his meeting with the 94-year-old Miller, and he agreed that Miller's absence from the Baseball Hall of Fame is ridiculous.

While Miller made free agency a reality for players, Boras opined, "The most important thing Marvin did is get the owners to agree to have an independent arbitrator to settle grievances."

That right proved crucial in the recently resolved Ryan Braun case. Independent arbitrator Shyam Das granted Braun his appeal when the Brewers outfielder challenged a failed test for performance-enhancing drugs.

Meanwhile, Boras said that his client Johnny Damon, still a free agent, is working out at his Florida home, waiting for a team to call. Damon's best chance figures to be an injury to a team's current designated hitter.

Carry-over, or just over?

Want to know what distinguishes one manager from the next? We bring you the Rays and the Tigers, both of whom made the playoffs last year and both of whom toppled giants. Tampa Bay upended the Red Sox in its run to the postseason, and Detroit eliminated the Yankees in the American League Division Series.

Neither won the World Series, yet both clubs had reason to feel positive about their 2011 campaigns.

One team is consciously and publicly choosing to build upon that. The other team, not so much.

"That's what I've been really promoting among our guys. The momentum that we built at the end of last season was outstanding," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said recently in Rays camp. "It's important that we play well in spring training and really maintain all that momentum, because getting off to a good start this year is pretty important."

Detroit manager Jim Leyland said at Tigers camp: "I think momentum will be as good as [Justin] Verlander is on Opening Day and whoever [the Red Sox] pitched."

Corporate synergy

What the heck, here are my selections in accordance with "The Lineup."

Best Mets trade: Keith Hernandez from St. Louis for Neil Allen and Rick Ownbey, June 15, 1983.

Best Yankees trade: Babe Ruth from Boston for $100,000, Jan. 3, 1920.

Worst Mets trade: Tom Seaver to Cincinnati for Doug Flynn, Steve Henderson, Dan Norman and Pat Zachry, June 15, 1977.

Worst Yankees trade: Dave Collins, Fred McGriff and Mike Morgan to Toronto for Tom Dodd and Dale Murray, Dec. 9, 1982.

Best Mets free agent: Carlos Beltran.

Best Yankees free agent: Reggie Jackson.

Worst Mets free agent: Luis Castillo.

Worst Yankees free agent: Kei Igawa.

Pop quiz

In the 1919 film "Gun Law," the lead character shares the name of a player who won a Rookie of the Year Award in the 1960s and a Most Valuable Player honor in the 1970s. Name the quotable slugger.

ANSWER BELOW

Three more early, impactful injuries

Carl Crawford, Red Sox. He had a setback with his surgically repaired left wrist, and his availability for Opening Day is seriously in question.

David Robertson, Yankees. The bullpen, a strength last year, takes a hit -- although, for now, it looks like it could have been much worse.

Bryce Harper, Nationals. OK, maybe "impactful" is a little strong for left calf tightness. But everything this phenom does seems huge.

Three teams that need a good spring training

Braves. Having shunned a Boston-type upheaval, the Braves must move past their collapse of 2011.

Twins. It makes a gargantuan difference if Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau break camp healthy.

Pirates. Confidence is paramount for this young group, which already has lost A.J. Burnett with a freak eye injury.

Quote of the week

"I don't think so. I already signed Damon when he was 28." -- Orioles general manager Dan Duquette, explaining his lack of interest in free agent Johnny Damon, 38.

Pop quiz answer

Dick Allen. Thanks to Rob Edelman of Amsterdam, N.Y., for the suggestion.