David Freese is excited to play for Tony La Russa one last time

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese will join his former manager Tony La Russa in Kansas City for the MLB All-Star game next week. - (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

The last time David Freese put on a uniform with Tony La Russa as his manager, the St. Louis Cardinals were winning their eleventh World Series in franchise history.

Freese took home the World Series Most Valuable Player award thanks to his Game 6 heroics and is permanently etched in Cardinals history as a star.

On Thursday, Cardinals fans and baseball fans in general, literally made the St. Louis area native a star for the first time in his career by sending Freese to the All-Star game in Kansas City through MLB's Final Vote system.

While Freese was gracious for the recognigition, he was most excited about getting a chance to play for National League manager Tony La Russa one last time.

"For me, it's not about going to the All-Star Game. It's about playing for Tony La Russa one more time."

Freese's comments not only show how much he adores his former manager, but also serve as a sign of support for La Russa, who has taken plenty of heat for some of his All-Star selections he made as manager of the National League.

La Russa did not select Freese to the game though. The fans did, thanks to an online voting and a Twitter campaign led by the hashtag "#FreesePlease."

While Freese talked about how excited he was to play for La Russa, he also made sure to thank his fans via Twitter.

#Cardinalnation what can I say... beast mode! U all went to town for me. Thank u so much! To join such great company in KC is such an honor.
— David Freese (@dfreese23) July 5, 2012