5 Different Types of Awesome!

[Cardinals]

Belichick was at his sincere best when talking about Cardinals manager Tony La Russa. I didn't come here looking for a Belichick-La Russa column, but their mutual admiration is interesting.

"I love Tony," Belichick said Tuesday.

We have a man crush.

Belichick recently sent La Russa a gray hooded sweatshirt, the kind Belichick wears on the sideline during games. When the Cardinals were marching through the 2006 postseason en route to the World Series title, Belichick wore a La Russa No. 10 jersey during a news conference.

Belichick and La Russa are part of an exclusive, insiders club of sports geniuses. The other members are Bill Parcells, Bob Knight and Ron Wolf. For those who aren't familiar with Wolf, he was one of the great talent scouts in NFL history, the GM who traded for Brett Favre in Green Bay. Billy Donovan, the Florida basketball coach, is a junior member of the club; he invited La Russa and Belichick to speak to the Gators last spring. And the honorary media delegate is the successful author, Buzz Bissinger, who introduced La Russa and Belichick.

While no one in the Testosterone Club will declare their own individual greatness, they are generous in proclaiming the brilliance of their pals. Perhaps they've made so many enemies and rivals along the way, they save the love for each other. Or maybe they can only understand each other.

La Russa and Belichick frequently text-message each other, just like two high school kids. They leave voice mails. They offer encouragement. For vacation, Belichick makes an annual visit to the Cardinals' camp in spring training, to hang with Tony.

I asked Belichick what he admires about La Russa.

"He's as into baseball as I am into football," Belichick said. "I like his style of managing. We talk about preparation, handling players, handling the organization, how to distribute different roles.

"Philosophically, we see a lot of things the same way. I like his approach and preparation through all aspects of baseball. The times I've spent with him in spring training, or just talking, I've learned a lot from him."

For his part, La Russa says that Belichick is misunderstood.

"Bill only shows one side to the media," La Russa said. "But with his friends, he's warm and personable. He has a sense of humor. We've had great conversations. And if you're a friend, he's there for you. He's a caring person."

La Russa also defends Belichick on the "Spygate" controversy.

"In the NFL, all the coaches are trying to get an edge in some way," TLR said. "It's always been that way in that league. Bill isn't any different."

(Now that's a true friend.)

La Russa and Belichick have something else in common.

And for once, Belichick's economy of words is perfect and true:

"We like to win," Belichick said.

This time, his smile was genuine.