Weiss happy for friend La Russa's new gig

DENVER -- Rockies manager Walt Weiss came up with Oakland when the A's were managed by Tony La Russa, who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in July for his managerial achievements.

La Russa on Saturday was named the chief baseball officer of the floundering D-backs. He will report to team president and CEO Derrick Hall and will oversee the entire baseball operations department, including general manager Kevin Towers and manager Kirk Gibson.

"I can't say I'm surprised," Weiss said. "I wish it wasn't in our division, because I know the Diamondbacks just got a whole lot better with him being there. I know Tony and how competitive he is. I think the toughest thing with him being away from the game is that there wasn't wins and losses on the line every day. I think he's been craving that, and it's great to see him back in the game. The game will be better for it. But like I said, I'm not thrilled that he's working in the NL West."

After retiring from managing in 2011, La Russa worked for Major League Baseball as a special assistant to Commissioner Bud Selig. Weiss was hired as the Rockies manager after the 2012 season and has spoken with La Russa often about the nuances of managing. They're likely to continue to talk, Weiss said, but not to the extent they once did about the game and handling personnel.

"We can talk about family, but that's where we draw the line," Weiss said.