Geren, La Russa do lunch

Geren, La Russa do lunch Red Sox sign Drew, Lugo
John Shea, Chronicle Staff Writer
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(12-06) 04:00 PST Lake Buena Vista, Fla. -- New A's manager Bob Geren isn't a know-it-all. He's open to all advice, especially when it comes from a future Hall of Fame manager.
Geren recently phoned Tony La Russa, who managed the Cardinals to the World Series title, and the East Bay residents went out to lunch.
"He respects a young manager trying to improve, and he said he did the same thing (solicit advice) when he started," said Geren, noting La Russa had looked up to Sparky Anderson and other successful managers. "He talked about constantly working ahead of the game so the game doesn't get too quick. He talked about 'what if' and how to use it in your normal thinking process. He was great. I mean, I owe him a lot for the experience. What a great resource."
La Russa seemed to enjoy the experience, too, saying, "It's stuff that was passed on to me years ago. For me, it was worth its weight in gold."
Geren was accompanied on his flight to Orlando by Karl Kuehl, a former A's executive who also offered advice.
Promoted from bench coach to replace Ken Macha, Geren said being a big-league manager hit home when he arrived at the winter meetings and found himself standing alongside Ron Washington, John Gibbons, Fredi Gonzalez and Manny Acta, all new or relatively new managers.
"That's when it sunk in," Geren said. "You're saying, 'OK, I'm one of these 30 now.' Pretty amazing."
This is a dream job for Geren, and he's not taking it lightly. He said he fell asleep Monday night reading a baseball rule book.
Ex-Dodgers signed: The Red Sox signed outfielder J.D. Drew for five years and $70 million after Drew opted out of the final three years and $33 million owed by the Dodgers. Another former Dodger, pitcher Greg Maddux, is bound for the Padres, apparently for one year and $10 million.
The Dodgers did keep closer Takashi Saito, who'll make $1 million next year.
Aside from Drew, the Red Sox also signed shortstop Julio Lugo to four years and $36 million.
Also Tuesday, the Rockies signed reliever LaTroy Hawkins, an ex-Giant, for one year and $3.5 million.
The signings came in the wake of Monday's activity in which pitcher Chris Carpenter re-signed with St. Louis for five years and $63.5 million and outfielder Jose Guillen joined Seattle for one year and $5.5 million.
Meantime, Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester was cleared by doctors to end chemotherapy, and former Cubs second baseman Ryne Sandberg will manage the organization's Class A affiliate (Peoria) in the Midwest League.
Robinson's scare: Don Robinson, who pitched for the Giants' 1989 World Series team, drove up from his home in Bradenton to renew acquaintances with old baseball friends, including Robby Thompson, who works for the Indians.
Robinson, 49, revealed he underwent surgery in remove an aortic aneurysm, the same thing that killed actor John Ritter in 2003. Robinson's golf game might have saved his life. He went to his doctor for some anti-inflammatory medicine for his shoulder, which ached when he swung. The doctor detected the abnormality near Robinson's heart and ordered the surgery.
Briefly: The late Bill King, a three-sport broadcaster who called A's games for 25 years, was selected one of 10 finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award, presented annually at the Hall of Fame ceremony. For the second straight year, King finished first in an Internet voting and was added to the 10-person ballot that has Denny Matthews, Dave Niehaus, Dizzy Dean, France Laux, Tom Cheek, Tony Kubek, Ken Harrelson, Joe Nuxhall and Graham McNamee. The results of the Frick committee's vote will be announced Feb. 21. ... The A's say they'll open spring training one day earlier than normal to benefit pitchers. ... Giants manager Bruce Bochy said the organization had a "slight leaning" toward using left-hander Jonathan Sanchez in the bullpen, another reversal of plans. Sanchez pitched 23 games in relief as a rookie in 2006 but was sent to the minors in late July to gain arm strength to start again. Bochy said Kevin Correia likely will pitch in relief, too, saying, "It's a case where he had success there, and you don't want to mess with it. ... The Giants' deal with catcher Bengie Molina, pending a physical, is worth between $15 million and $16 million, more than first reported.
Staff Writer Henry Schulman contributed to this report.