Bill Belichick Had Random Guest At Thursday’s Patriots Practice

Bill Belichick has friends in high places, and some of them occasionally show up in Foxboro, Mass., to watch a New England Patriots practice.

That trend continued Thursday, with Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Tony La Russa taking in a practice outside Gillette Stadium.

Take a look:

On the surface, it seems kind of random that La Russa would be at a Patriots practice. Why would he go out of his way to watch a 1-5 football team go through some drills?

But the reality is it's not random at all. La Russa and Belichick have become close friends over the years, with La Russa being one of the more common special guests at practices.

La Russa is known as one of the greatest managers in MLB history. He's second all-time in wins (2,902) and racked up three World Series titles and six pennants over his storied career. He also has front-office experience, including a two-year stint with the Boston Red Sox as a special assistant to Dave Dombrowski.