(AP) -- St. Louis has retired Tony La Russa's No. 10, honoring the manager a little more than six months after he helped the Cardinals win the World Series.

One of his former players thought even that was a bit tardy.

Pitcher Dave Stewart, one of horses of La Russa's rotations in Oakland, said during a ceremony prior to the Braves-Cardinals game Friday that the number should have been retired while La Russa was still making out lineup cards.

Groundskeepers cut the grass with a big "10" in short center field in tribute to the 67-year-old La Russa, who managed the Cardinals for 16 seasons and retired after leading a long-shot NL wild-card team to the title.

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