WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — St. Louis manager Tony La Russa is a baseball lifer whose induction into the Hall of Fame is a matter of when, not if.
But that doesn't mean La Russa spends his winters applying for his SABR card or analyzing the advantages of hitting the pitcher eighth (OK, maybe a little on the latter).
In fact, La Russa spends so much time at concerts during the off-season he could be confused for a roadie.
Just last winter he caught AC/DC, Metallica, Disturbed, Joe Satriani, Velvet Revolver, DragonForce and even found time to attend the Grammys.
"We're all rock and rollers," he said of his family. "I really enjoy all music, but my preference is the classic rock groups."
He is partial to the bands of the '70s and '80s — and his method of listening to his favorite tunes is vintage '80s, too. "I don't use an iPod," he said. "That's too technical. I listen to CDs."
Among his favorites: Doobie Brothers, Yes and the Grateful Dead.
Tony La Russa, master of the double switch and a Deadhead.
La Russa's connection to the Grateful Dead is twofold: The band is from the Bay Area, where La Russa managed in Oakland for 10 years, and former Grateful Dead pianist Bruce Hornsby is a close friend who makes annual visits to Jupiter, Fla., during spring training.
And as for the age-old debate: Beatles vs. Stones? "I'm a much bigger Beatles fan than a Rolling Stones fan," La Russa said. "The Rolling Stones put on a really entertaining visual show, but the variety and the depth of the music, Beatles hands down between those two."
La Russa has parlayed his passion for music into a mega-charity event he calls Stars to the Rescue, which benefits animal welfare agencies along with the Animal Rescue Foundation in Walnut Creek, Calif., which was founded by La Russa and his wife, Elaine.
Last winter, Stars to the Rescue featured Vince Gill and Amy Grant (he does stray into country), Lady Antebellum, Huey Lewis & the News and members of REO Speedwagon. Past performers have included: Dennis DeYoung of Styx, Mickey Thomas of Jefferson Starship and John Fogerty, to name a few.
"If I showed you the list of people who have done it, it would blow your mind," La Russa said. "Huey Lewis said, 'Do you realize if you tried to hire the talent here it would be over a million bucks?'"
While in Jupiter for spring training, La Russa never left home without Yes' "Greatest Hits Live." And he even draws a parallel from his favorite song to his profession.
"Close to the Edge," the title song to Yes' greatest album, is 18 minutes, which on some nights might seem to match the number pitching changes made by La Russa.
"Think about it," he said, "the words 'I get up, I get down,' it defines managing. You get up, you get down. You get up, you get down. You're winning, you're losing. You're up, you're down. Close to the edge. What's going to happen."
Tom D'Angelo writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: tom(underscore)dangelo(at)pbpost.com.