La Russa?

[MUMountin]

Former St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa sat in the Marquette section behind the team's bench.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/53687/rapid-reaction-marquette-88-byu-68

Caught this on ESPN.  Anyone know if/what the connection is?

[muhoosier260]

crean

[Doris Burkes Thong]

He's there to take Vander and DJO out on a bender and a tour of the Louisville Slugger factory on Friday.

[4everwarriors]

I'd figure he'd had been in Portland givin' the pre-game speech seein' he and Turtlehead are tight and such.

[ZiggysFryBoy]

I didn't think they sold booze at NCAA events.

[YoungMUFan4]

He was sitting with Dick Strong

[cheebs09]

I'd figure he'd had been in Portland givin' the pre-game speech seein' he and Turtlehead are tight and such.

They said he came out of the Indiana locker room after the game. CBS wrote an article about his and Crean's friendship that I saw posted on Twitter.

[WI inferiority Complexes]

I can't stand Tony La Russa and I'm too hungover to read this article without dry-heaving, but I believe this explains his presence at two games last night:

"IU wins easy; Tony La Russa flies from Louisville to Portland to see Crean"

http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/17828875/iu-wins-easy-tony-la-russa-flies-from-louisville-to-portland-to-see-crean

[shoothoops]

These are known as FOT's or "Friends of Tony."
It is quite the list.  Joe Strohm is long time VP of ticket sales for STL Cards baseball.  He is also brother of former MU assistant Jeff Strohm.  Crean maneuvered his way into the FOT list.  Bob Knight, Bill Parcells etc.. And has stayed.  That list is sports, musicians, other.  TLR is frequent visitor at other sporting events, concerts, etc..and vice versa.  He'll be spending some time with Jim Leyland at Tiger camp, hitting some NCAA hoops games, Blues playoff games, etc..

[WI inferiority Complexes]

He'll be spending some time with Jim Leyland at Tiger camp, hitting some NCAA hoops games, Blues playoff games, etc..

He's also been known to spend longer than usual at Florida stoplights.

[Hoopaloop]

So Strong left the MU game at halftime to be at the full IU game in Portland?

[shoothoops]

Strong watched the end of the MU game at airport then went to watch IU.  Sat he will be at MU game for full game.

[GGGG]

Strong watched the end of the MU game at airport then went to watch IU.  Sat he will be at MU game for full game.

How nice of him.

[Blackhat]

Oh no.   We need a new sugar daddy.   

4never.

[Skatastrophy]

Oh no.   We need a new sugar daddy.   

4never.

fixed.  your width and height arguments were at the end of your url.

[Blackhat]

Thanks bro.   

[Dawson Rental]

So, I guess that Dick Strong was okay with: "It's Indiana, It's Indiana!", and that wonderful statement about how Dwayne Wade would gladly have crawled across burning coals to play at Indiana.

[Hoopaloop]

So, I guess that Dick Strong was okay with: "It's Indiana, It's Indiana!", and that wonderful statement about how Dwayne Wade would gladly have crawled across burning coals to play at Indiana.

Apparently more than ok.  Left MU game at halftime to watch a full IU game on the other coast.  Or, perhaps he has also moved on and can accept what Crean did for MU and still supports Crean as a friend at IU while also supporting Buzz at MU.


Here was a quote from today's press where Crean mentions Strong by name.

"I think when I look up at the crowd and catch a glimpse of my family, our families, I've got some good friends here, Tony La Russa and Dick Strong, I catch a glimpse of them and I think then it hits you just for a brief moment that this is really, really special," Crean said. "It really is. We've been through so much to get to this point that it's hard to spend a lot of time reflecting on it."

[4everwarriors]

I fully expect Dick to be at Crean side when Turtlehead wins the Nobel prize for medicine having found the cure for Aids. Now we're talkin' special moments and hurdle jumpin'.

[4everwarriors]

Oh no.   We need a new sugar daddy.   

4never.

I can do it provided the time constraints are too great.

[4everwarriors]

So Strong left the MU game at halftime to be at the full IU game in Portland?

If the cheap jag woulda flown charter, he coulda stayed to the end of the MU game.

[Hoopaloop]

If the cheap jag woulda flown charter, he coulda stayed to the end of the MU game.

I think you need to stand erected.  They did charter.  Dick Strong Airways


"Tom and I developed a friendship about as fast as you can develop one," La Russa said. "It was like that."

One of Crean's old assistants at Marquette was the brother to a St. Louis Cardinals staff member. La Russa and Crean met after a Cardinals-Brewers game in 2002.

"I love his enthusiasm, and he has this real thirst for learning," La Russa said. "He's like a sponge the way he takes it all in."
Crean and La Russa have swapped books for years now, mostly leadership/coaching books from guys like the late Bill Walsh and Bob Knight, who La Russa is still very, very close with. La Russa traveled to the game via charter thanks to a man by the name of Dick Strong, who described himself simply as "Marquette fan." Yes, a Golden Eagles fan who happens to have easy access to a private jet. Turns out he works in investments.

[wadesworld]

Apparently more than ok.  Left MU game at halftime to watch a full IU game on the other coast.  Or, perhaps he has also moved on and can accept what Crean did for MU and still supports Crean as a friend at IU while also supporting Buzz at MU.


Here was a quote from today's press where Crean mentions Strong by name.

"I think when I look up at the crowd and catch a glimpse of my family, our families, I've got some good friends here, Tony La Russa and Dick Strong, I catch a glimpse of them and I think then it hits you just for a brief moment that this is really, really special," Crean said. "It really is. We've been through so much to get to this point that it's hard to spend a lot of time reflecting on it."

I truly do appreciate what Crean did for the program and realize we wouldn't be the program that we are today if Crean had not done what he had done.  Having said that, I do still think Crean is a self-centered jag, and I think that quote supports that.  Who name drops about the faces he saw in the crowd after an NCAA Tournament win?  Never seen a coach do that, unless it's talking about how strong the bond is within the program as you can see by how many pros come back and support the team or whatever.