The team that refused to give up. . . Their manager in his final season. . . .
A comeback that changed baseball.
A comeback that changed baseball.
Tony La Russa thought he had seen it all—that is, until the 2011 cardinals. In his new book, “One Last Strike”, La Russa explains how that championship season was a culmination of a lifetime was spent studying the game. Join Haines and Essick, Team Soy - Soy Capitol Bank and JL Hubbard Insurance and Bonds, Bob Brady Auto Mall, Jerger Pediatric Dentistry, Skeff Distributing, Herald and Review and WSOY- The Voice for a book signing of “One Last Strike” with Tony La Russa.
Don’t miss your change to meet one of the game’s greatest managers, Tony La Russa! Pre-order your copy of One Last Strike today! Only pre-orders through Haines and Essick will be guaranteed a spot in line.
To pre-order your copy, visit Haines and Essick at 150 East William Street, Decatur, Illinois 62523, Call 429-4374 or email bookstore@striglos.com
PLEASE NOTE:
1. ONLY PRE-ORDERS THROUGH HAINES AND ESSICK will guaranteed a spot in line. Pre-ordered copies will receive a numbered voucher that will be honored first. Copies purchased elsewhere or without a ticket will be signed as time allows.
2. ONLY copies of “One Last Strike” will be signed. No other titles.
3. Only up to THREE copies of “One Last Strike” will be signed per person.
4. PLEASE NO MEMORABILIA, baseballs, baseball cards, photos, jerseys, bats, etc. In order to make sure everyone gets their copy of “One Last Strike” autographed, this policy must be respected.
5. Photos are allowed, but NO POSED PICTURES WITH Mr. La Russa will be permitted. Once again, this is to insure that everyone has a chance to have their copy signed.
About “One Last Strike”:
Down ten and a half games with little more than a month to play, the Cardinals had long been ruled out as serious postseason contenders. Yet in the face of those steep odds, this team mounted one of the most dramatic and impressive comebacks in baseball history, making the playoffs on the night of the final game of the season and going on to win the World Series despite being down to their last strike—twice.
Now former Manager, Tony La Russa gives the inside story behind this astonishing comeback and his remarkable career, explaining how a team with so much against it was able to succeed on baseball's biggest stage. Opening up about the devastating injuries, the bullpen struggles, the crucial games, and the players who made it all possible, he reveals how the team's character shaped its accomplishments, demonstrating how this group came together in good times and in bad to become that rarest of things: a team that actually enjoyed it when the odds were against them.
But this story is much more than that of a single season. As La Russa, the third-winningest manager in baseball history, explains, their season was the culmination of a lifetime spent studying the game. Laying bare his often scrutinized and frequently misunderstood approach to managing, he explains his counterintuitive belief in process over result, present moments over statistics, and team unity over individual talent. Along the way he shares the stories from throughout his career that shaped his outlook—from his first days managing the Chicago White Sox to his championship years with the Oakland A's, to his triumphant tenure as St. Louis's longest-serving manager. Setting the record straight on his famously intense style, he explores the vital yet overlooked role that his personal relationships with his players have contributed to his victories, ultimately showing how, in a sport often governed by cold, hard numbers, the secret to his success has been surprisingly human.
Speaking candidly about his decision to retire, La Russa discusses the changes that he'd observed both in the game and in himself that told him, despite his success, it was time to hang up his spikes. The end result is a passionate, insightful, and remarkable look at our national pastime that takes you behind the scenes of the comeback that no one thought possible and inside the mind of one of the game's greatest managers.
