PHOENIX -- Kevin Towers appeared to have a tenuous hold on his job as Arizonas general manager when the Diamondbacks hired Tony La Russa to run their baseball operations. Cheap Mike Bibby Jersey . Though the Hall of Fame manager said he was going to evaluate the entire organization, it seemed only to be a matter of time before the reins were taken away from Towers. The change came on Friday, when Arizona fired Towers in the midst of a third straight disappointing season, less than four months after La Russa was named chief baseball officer. "Over the past three months, I have had the opportunity to evaluate all aspects of our baseball operations and have decided to restructure our staff in order to improve our decision-making process," La Russa said. "I have the utmost respect for Kevin and a friendship with him that dates back many years which has allowed me to appreciate his talents and experience." Towers was hired in 2010 after 14 seasons as the San Diego Padres general manager. He had almost immediate success, pulling off all the right moves to help Arizona win the 2011 NL West crown, its first division title since 2007. Since then, Towers moves havent paid off quite as well and the Diamondbacks have suffered, following a pair of .500 seasons with a nosedive this year. "You can see it coming but you dont want to believe it," catcher Miguel Montero said. "Its really sad that its come to this." Plagued by injuries and subpar seasons from players it had counted on, Arizona lost 22 of its first 30 games to plummet into last place and never really recovered, entering Friday nights game at 59-81 -- 11 1-2 games behind the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers. "Its a bummer," first baseman Mark Trumbo said. "You never want to see anyone relieved of their role in the organization, especially when it comes as a result of the team underperforming." Towers said La Russa told him he wanted to restructure the front office a couple of weeks ago and was offered another position within the organization. Towers plans to stay with the organization at least until the Diamondbacks hire a new GM and decide on his future once he knows who the new person will be. La Russa said current agent Dave Stewart, a pitcher under La Russa with the Oakland Athletics, and St. Louis farm director Gary LaRocque are on Arizonas list of potential replacements. He also has talked to Diamondbacks scouting director Ray Montgomery, and asked permission to speak with New York Yankees assistant GM Billy Eppler and Los Angeles Angels scouting director Hal Morris. "When I took this job in 2010, we wanted to win a World Series and we won very early here, set high standards for ourselves," Towers said. "Since 2011, we havent met the standards that we hoped, ownership had hoped for and our fan base hoped for, and ultimately Im going to be held accountable for that." With manager Kirk Gibson at the helm, Arizona had a dramatic turnaround in 2011, winning 94 games and the NL West after losing 97 games the season before. The success didnt continue. Arizona went 81-81 the next two seasons despite a slew of moves by Towers and took another step backward this season after Gibson and Towers were given contract extensions. "I look at K.T. and the thing that comes to my mind is how much better the organization is right now than we he arrived," Gibson said. "Hes done a great job." Injuries were a big part of the fall this season. The Diamondbacks lost their No. 1 starter and setup man before the season even started, when Patrick Corbin and David Hernandez underwent Tommy John surgery. Trumbo, the teams key off-season acquisition, was tied for the NL lead in homers and second in RBIs, but went down with a stress fracture in his foot less than a month into the season. Outfielder A.J. Pollock also missed significant time with a broken hand and All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt was lost for the season last month with a broken hand. "Wish we could have stayed healthy and enjoyed success year after year, but this season was a very trying year and when you dont meet expectations, things like this happen -- and I know that," Towers said. Even before the injuries struck, the Diamondbacks laboured after a series of deals by Towers didnt pan out. The big trade under Towers came before the 2013 season, when the Diamondbacks sent outfielder Justin Upton to the Braves for top pitching prospect Randall Delgado and three minor leaguers. Upton has continued to produce in Atlanta while the players Arizona got in return have yet to have much of an impact. Towers also traded away several starting pitchers, including Ian Kennedy, Trevor Bauer, Jarrod Parker and Tyler Skaggs, along with outfielder Adam Eaton. With the team out of contention, Towers and the Diamondbacks began dismantling the team around the trade deadline, pulling off deals that sent right-hander Brandon McCarthy, third baseman Martin Prado -- the key cog in the Upton trade -- and outfielder Gerardo Parra out of the desert. Cheap NBA Jerseys .I get texts: Do you know Drake? Have you met Drake? He sits there every night, he hears me cuss out the referees every night, Casey said, laughing. Cheap Tracy Mcgrady Jersey . The Rays hope to stay alive for the postseason and salvage the finale of this series Sunday at Rogers Centre, where they dropped a 7-2 decision Saturday. Chris Archer lasted 2 1/3 innings in the no-decision, charged with a run and five hits, and Alex Torres suffered the loss in relief. http://www.cheaphawksjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-john-collins-jersey . Everton Preview West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been around the game long enough to not get too high when things are going well and not get too low when they arent.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Alex Smith would like to stay in Kansas City. He just doesnt want to waste his time dealing with the negotiations that could keep him with the Chiefs beyond next season. "My agent and representatives handle all that," Smith said. "Thats why you hire them." Smith did confirm that his agent, Tom Condon, has been talking with the Chiefs about a new deal. Smith is due to make $7.5 million in the final year of a contract he signed in 2012, when he was still a member of the San Francisco 49ers. "I have no date as far as expectation (of getting a deal done)," Smith said on the first day of the off-season program. "I still have a year on my contract, so for me, no, I dont have any expectations. I dont know when itll get done." Chiefs general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid have both expressed their desire to keep Smith in Kansas City. Smith completed 66 per cent of his passes with a career-best 23 touchdowns and only seven interceptions while leading a team that had been 2-14 the year before his arrival to an 11-5 mark and a spot in the playoffs. Kansas City lost to Indianapolis in the first round. "Ive played long enough, going into Year 10 now, its all year to year in my mind anyway," Smith said. "At this point, you have to continually prove yourself, so I dont think it changes anything as far as my mindsset or my approach to the game at all. Cheap Dikembe Mutombo Jersey. " The Chiefs traded what turned out to be a second-round pick last season and their second-rounder this season to San Francisco to acquire Smith. That leaves them with only one pick in the first 86, and could make it difficult to surround their quarterback with help. Theyve already lost left tackle Branden Albert and both of their right guards, Jon Asamoah and Geoff Schwartz, during free agency. They have also struggled to find a complementary wide receiver for Dwayne Bowe, and could select a wide receiver with their first-round pick. Smith said he doesnt worry about any of it. "I knew some of that was to be expected. Its tough. Those were all good players," he said. "I knew we werent going to keep everybody. Thats part of the deal." Along with turning his focus toward next season, Smith is also working on a commencement address that he will deliver May 1 at Utah. He was approached a while back by the presidents office at his alma mater, though he wasnt sure how far down he was on the pecking order. "Humbled to give it. Its kind of sitting in the back of my mind this entire off-season, knowing I have to give this speech," he said. Asked if there was a theme, he glibly replied: "Yeah, they should work really hard on running fast and throwing the ball far." ' ' '