WASHINGTON, D.C. — The clubhouse. The press box. The media dining room. If you saw Dave Dombrowski during the recent Red Sox road trip, Tony LaRussa probably wasn't far behind.
LaRussa is clearly taking his role as an advisor to Dombrowski seriously, certainly finding himself around the team a whole lot more times than not. And what he's gotten out of it is a whole new perspective of his old friend.
"Sitting with him in the box, between pitches he's always reading. He's intense," said LaRussa of Dombrowski, who the Hall of Fame manager has known since their days together with the White Sox in the early 1980's. "Put it this way, I didn't work as hard as he works. If I was ever involved again, which I'm not, I would work harder. I thought I was working hard, but Dave works hard."
This isn't the first time LaRussa has gotten a chance to observe Dombrowski, having spent time with the former Tigers general manager during 2012 spring training.
But now, with the non-waiver trade deadline looming, the dynamic has become even more enlightening for LaRussa.
As chief baseball officer of the Diamondbacks, and as Walt Jocketty's manager in St. Louis before that, LaRussa had some knowledge of how dealing with Dombrowski worked. But, as the 73-year-old explained, this time around has been truly eye-opening.
"He always seemed like he was more informed than the average GM," he said.
"Upstairs it's different. When you've been around as long as Dave has been, he has a very established reputation. It's pretty simple. One, he's as trusted as any man who does that job, which means when the other guy is talking to him he believes him. History is replete with guys thinking they are going to get the advantage in this one. Dave has always been known as honest. What he tells you is the truth. He will never deceive you. Secondly, Dave is known as a guy who if he is talking to you he's serious. He's not trying to put the Red Sox' name in the paper. Dave is known as a guy who is decisive."
Now, with just weeks before the non-waiver trade deadline, LaRussa is about to get another level of what Dombrowski is all about at this time of year.
"It's been eye-opening," he said.
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