On a day when the weather was more suitable for ducks

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FORT WORTH, Texas -- On a day when the weather was more suitable for ducks than racing, the Sprint Cup Series at Texas Motor Speedway became NASCARs first rainout of the season. Cheap Chicago Bulls Jerseys . The Robertson family from "Duck Dynasty" had prominent roles at Sundays race, called the Duck Commander 500, but Uncle Si never got to give the command to start engines. NASCAR pulled the plug after a delay of about four hours. The race will be run Monday, nine hours before the start of the NCAA national championship game in nearby Arlington. Tony Stewart, making a comeback this season after missing the final four months of last year with a broken leg, will start on the pole. Watch the race live, Monday at Noon et/9am pt on TSN2. Its the third time in seven Sprint Cup Series races this season that rain has hampered the event. The season-opening Daytona 500 was stopped for more than six hours, and the race at Bristol Motor Speedway had two delays totalling more than five hours. At least the fans who braved the rain got to enjoy the Robertson family antics. Uncle Si was wearing a sparkly jumpsuit meant to resemble a firesuit. Family patriarch Phil Robertson was supposed to wave the green flag as the honorary starter, his youngest son, Jep, was to ride in a pace car. Jase Robertson introduced the Top 10 starters, and his wife Missy sang the national anthem. Sadie, Willies 16-year-old daughter, delivered the invocation. Korie Robertson, Willies wife, said about 30-40 members of the family were at the race. "And some extras, some bearded people may have slipped in there claiming they were kin," said Willie Robertson, who also sponsored Clint Bowyers car for the race. A steady rain saturated the track Sunday. NASCARs new track drying system requires two hours to dry the 1.5-mile speedway, but the unseasonably cool temperatures made the task more difficult. TMS big screen "Big Hoss TV" alerted fans to pending severe weather at times Sunday. The high-definition LED video board also showed episodes of "Duck Dynasty." Bowyers car had markings for Willie Robertsons diner, Buck Commander and Korie Robertsons clothing boutique. "I tried to talk them into letting me drive a Duck Commander car, but they wont do it," Si said. Willies response to that? "We told him if he could figure out how to open the door well let him drive it," the CEO said. Earlier Sunday, an official from Guinness Book of World Records officially certified "Big Hoss TV" as the worlds largest high-definition LED video board. It is 218 feet wide and about 95 feet high, covering 20,614 square feet. Cheap Jacksonville Jaguars Jerseys . In fact, cranky would best describe the Celtics mood as they packed for a trip home to play Milwaukee on Wednesday. "It was a win, thats all it was for us," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. Cheap Manchester City Jerseys . Bayern led second-place Leverkusen by 10 points with a game in hand, while Dortmund was another four points off the pace. Freiburg midfielder Felix Klaus scored in the last minute as his side twice came from behind to climb provisionally out of the relegation zone. ST. LOUIS -- Tony La Russa waited until after the championship parade and then called a team meeting with his players. "We didnt know what to expect," said pitcher Chris Carpenter, who won Game 7 of the World Series against Texas on Friday night. "I think we all figured it was just going to be like, Thataway guys. Great year. Way to battle! Instead, he dropped that on us. I think everybody was caught off-guard." And with that, the 67-year-old La Russa said goodbye to baseball and became the first manager to retire immediately after leading his team to a Series title -- the third of his career. "I think this just feels like its time to end it," he said Monday. "When I look in the mirror, I know Id come back for the wrong reasons, and I didnt want to do that." La Russa said he told general manager John Mozeliak of his decision in August -- before the Cards rallied from a 10 1/2-game deficit in the NL wild-card race to upset Philadelphia and Milwaukee in the playoffs. They won the thrilling seven-game Series after twice coming within a strike of elimination in Game 6. "I tip my hat to him. Hes had a great career. What a way to go out," Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson said. The player meeting was short and emotional. "Some grown men cried," La Russa said, joking that, "I kind of liked that because they made me cry a few times. La Russa won the World Series with Oakland in 1989, and St. Louis in 2006 and this year, joining Sparky Anderson as the only manager to win with clubs in both leagues. During 33 seasons with the Chicago White Sox (1979-86), Oakland (1986-95) and St. Louis (1996-11), La Russa compiled a 2,728-2,365 regular-season record. He trails only Connie Mack (3,731) and John McGraw (2,763) for wins. And his 70 post-season victories are behind only Joe Torres 84. A rare manager with a law degree, La Russa was voted AL Manager of the Year three times, and NL Manager of the Year in 2002. He will be up for consideration for the Hall of Fame in December 2013, at the same time as Torre and Bobby Cox. "I think you can make a case for him as best of all-time. Absolutely," said Detroit manager Jim Leyland, who coached for La Russa with the White Sox after managing against him in the minors. Leyland said La Russa was the "total package" as a manager, obsessing over the lineup card, outfoxing opponents during games and refusing to bend to public opinion. "Terry Francona used to say If you manage for the guys in the seats, pretty soon youll be sitting with em. Tony never worried about that stuff," Leyland said. "Its a good lesson for managers." La Russa revolutionized the sport during his time with Oakland, making Dennis Eckersley a one-inning closer. Now, its common for all 30 big league teams. "Hes been an outstanding leader of many different teams under many different circumstances, and thats hard to do," said New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, La Russas GM with the Athletics. La Russa had unusual strategies: He started a game with the pitcher batting eighth 432 times. He was renowned for his use of batter-pitcher matchups in determining which reliever to bring in, but also ridiculed "Moneyball" and its emphasis on statistics over human scouting and observation. Potential successors include Francona, Jim Riggleman and Joe Maddon, who has one year left on his deal in Tampa Bay but has expressed interest in the Cardinals in the past. A pal of Bobby Knight, Bill Parcells and Bill Belichick, La Russa was an outspoken supporter of PETA and animal rights, and could be seen during spring training years ago in Phoenix hitting fly balls to one of his dogs. He was treated at the Mayo Clinic in May for shingles, which left his face swollen and right eye nearly shut. The manager downplayed his health, saying "it had no bearing on my future." La Russa spoke with little emotion at the news conference with one exception, when he paused to compose himself as he thanked his wife, Elaine, and two daughters for putting up with his absence over much of his long tenure. The news conference was held at 9 a.m. CDT, giving La Russa time to get to New York for an appearance on Mondays "Late Show with David Letterman" during which he joked a bit with the host. Letterman askeed La Russa how he was able to manage for so long and La Russa replied, "Uh, I dont know. wholesale jerseys. How long have you done this?" Lettermans reply: "This is my first night." La Russa willingly shared credit for his longevity, telling Letterman that Dave Duncan "will go down as the greatest pitching coach in the history of the game." And though he never relocated to St. Louis, La Russa had warm thoughts for the city. "You dont like to disparage anybody else, David, but its a unique place cause most places, theyre with you win or tie, but with them, its win or lose." La Russa often appeared tightlipped at his televised postgame news conferences, but behind the scenes he showed his sense of humour and often poked fun at himself by referencing his .199 career big league average in a playing career that consisted of 176 at-bats over 11 years as a second baseman, shortstop and third baseman. The manager was looser than usual and more reflective in October, perhaps doing a personal farewell tour. La Russa donned a throwback Sam Bradford jersey on the sideline before the Rams upset of the Saints on Sunday. "I saw him smile more in the last few months during games than I ever saw in the eight years that I was here before it," Carpenter said. "He was enjoying the moment, but I didnt know it." La Russa gave a signal of his intentions to Duncan, his former teammate and his pitching coach since they were together on the White Sox. Duncan left the team for several weeks to tend to his ailing wife, and La Russa asked whether Duncan could return in time for the regular-season finale. Chris Duncan, a son of the pitching coach, who played for La Russa in St. Louis, said he was fairly certain this meant the end. "Tony wanted his longtime sidekick, the coach whos been with him all the way, with him if it was going to be his last game," Chris Duncan told The Associated Press. "That was important to him." La Russa said it was definite that hed never manage again and added he has no desire to be a general manager, a job he described as the hardest in baseball. He would be open to a position in baseball in the future, but probably not with the Cardinals. "Me personally, I think its time to step away for a long while," La Russa said Hired by Bill Veeck for his first major league managing job with the White Sox, La Russa was fired by White Sox GM Ken Harrelson. "I allowed the general manager to fire him. That was the worst mistake I ever made," Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf said. "It turned about to be great for Tony, though, because he left here at a time we werent doing well and he went to Oakland right at the time that all of their talent came to fruition." La Russa managed teams to 12 first-place finishes and six pennants, going to the World Series in three straight years with the As from 1988-90. He also lost in the Series with the Cardinals in 2004. "Tony wanted to win in spring training," Leyland said. "He wanted everything done right from the start. Its like he was born to manage." Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. said he didnt try to talk La Russa out of his decision. The manager had taken his time in recent years deciding whether to return to baseball. "I said, Are you sure you want to do this?" DeWitt said. "I respected his decision. It was never about Do you want me to come back?" "Were not going to find a Tony La Russa out there, given his career and what hes accomplished, what hes meant to the Cardinals," DeWitt said. Mozeliak said the new manager will be given autonomy to hire staff. Duncan is under contract for 2012, but will likely also retire. Mozeliak didnt think La Russas departure would affect negotiations with Albert Pujols, a free agent for the first time after 11 seasons with the Cardinals. "He probably understood that Tony is not going to manage forever," Mozeliak said. Before heading home to California, La Russa said he was happy he didnt know what the future held for him. He even joked about his next occupation. "Maybe open a book store," he said. ------ AP St. Louis correspondent Jim Salter, Columnist Jim Litke and Sports Writer Howard Fendrich in Washington D.C. contributed to this report. cheap jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '