White Sox to talk to LaRussa
- Thread starter Douglas C. Neidermeyer
- Start date
Does LaRussa know about this yet, or has someone already woken him up from his drunken slumber in his car at a stop sign?
Managers don’t forget how to manage and LaRussa probably has some ideas who the White Sox might look to. I doubt Tony will “ manage” again, but he understands. Also, the owner of the Sox is one of the great people in sports and has many friends. People like him and want to see him succeed.
And it's official
Tony La Russa, 76, a three-time World Series champion, is the new manager of the Chicago White Sox, the team announced Thursday.
La Russa hasn't served as a major league manager since ending a 16-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, a season that culminated in La Russa's third championship. La Russa, who has a 2,728-2,365 managerial record, became the first manager in major league history to retire after winning the World Series that season.
La Russa began his managerial career with the White Sox from 1979 to 1986. White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf purchased the team three years into that stretch and fired La Russa 64 games into the 1986 season, then watched him join the Oakland Athletics later that season to jump-start what eventually became a Hall of Fame career. Reinsdorf has long regretted that decision.
After his run with the Cardinals, La Russa took on executive roles with Major League Baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels, who hired him as a senior adviser to baseball operations after the 2019 season.
La Russa takes over for former White Sox manager Rick Renteria, whom the organization agreed to part ways with on Oct. 12. Renteria guided the White Sox to a 35-25 record in 2020 and the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2008. Chicago lost 2-1 to the Athletics in the wild-card round.
General manager Rick Hahn said at the time that Renteria and the front office had spoken "for years" about how the "final stages" of the White Sox's rebuild would go. Hahn also said the move wasn't precipitated by anything Renteria did in 2020, including a controversial pitching move in the playoffs or the team faltering down the stretch after having a slight lead in the division.
"This isn't about any of the decision-making in Game 3 of the wild-card series," Hahn said at the time. "This isn't about anything that happened over the last couple of weeks after we clinched our position into the playoffs. This is based upon where we are as an organization and what we need to do to take that next step."
While Hahn wouldn't shed any light on who the team was interested in as it embarked on its search, he shared the type of person the team was looking for.
"Ultimately, I think the best candidate or the ideal candidate is going to be someone who has experience with a championship organization in recent years; recent October experience with a championship organization," he said.
Although La Russa hasn't been in the dugout since 2011, he was with the Red Sox as a vice president and special assistant to Dave Dombrowski, then the team's president of baseball operations, when Boston won the 2018 World Series.
Tony La Russa, 76, a three-time World Series champion, is the new manager of the Chicago White Sox, the team announced Thursday.
La Russa hasn't served as a major league manager since ending a 16-year run with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, a season that culminated in La Russa's third championship. La Russa, who has a 2,728-2,365 managerial record, became the first manager in major league history to retire after winning the World Series that season.
La Russa began his managerial career with the White Sox from 1979 to 1986. White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf purchased the team three years into that stretch and fired La Russa 64 games into the 1986 season, then watched him join the Oakland Athletics later that season to jump-start what eventually became a Hall of Fame career. Reinsdorf has long regretted that decision.
After his run with the Cardinals, La Russa took on executive roles with Major League Baseball, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Angels, who hired him as a senior adviser to baseball operations after the 2019 season.
La Russa takes over for former White Sox manager Rick Renteria, whom the organization agreed to part ways with on Oct. 12. Renteria guided the White Sox to a 35-25 record in 2020 and the franchise's first postseason appearance since 2008. Chicago lost 2-1 to the Athletics in the wild-card round.
General manager Rick Hahn said at the time that Renteria and the front office had spoken "for years" about how the "final stages" of the White Sox's rebuild would go. Hahn also said the move wasn't precipitated by anything Renteria did in 2020, including a controversial pitching move in the playoffs or the team faltering down the stretch after having a slight lead in the division.
"This isn't about any of the decision-making in Game 3 of the wild-card series," Hahn said at the time. "This isn't about anything that happened over the last couple of weeks after we clinched our position into the playoffs. This is based upon where we are as an organization and what we need to do to take that next step."
While Hahn wouldn't shed any light on who the team was interested in as it embarked on its search, he shared the type of person the team was looking for.
"Ultimately, I think the best candidate or the ideal candidate is going to be someone who has experience with a championship organization in recent years; recent October experience with a championship organization," he said.
Although La Russa hasn't been in the dugout since 2011, he was with the Red Sox as a vice president and special assistant to Dave Dombrowski, then the team's president of baseball operations, when Boston won the 2018 World Series.
Greenberg nailed this:
"Only the White Sox.
Only the White Sox could build a young, edgy, personable team after years of trotting out replacement-level mediocrity and then muck up the goodwill they’ve engendered like this.
Only the White Sox would proactively fire their manager after their first playoff season in 12 years and replace him with the manager they mistakenly fired in 1986.
Only the White Sox would declare they’re looking for a skipper with recent World Series experience, for a voice from outside the organization, and decide on Tony La Russa, who retired from managing after a Hall of Fame career in 2011."
"Only the White Sox.
Only the White Sox could build a young, edgy, personable team after years of trotting out replacement-level mediocrity and then muck up the goodwill they’ve engendered like this.
Only the White Sox would proactively fire their manager after their first playoff season in 12 years and replace him with the manager they mistakenly fired in 1986.
Only the White Sox would declare they’re looking for a skipper with recent World Series experience, for a voice from outside the organization, and decide on Tony La Russa, who retired from managing after a Hall of Fame career in 2011."
Also: Bill Veeck's postulate - "To be a Sox fan frees a man from all other forms of penance."
I don't think this will end well. This is a pure Reinsdorf move. I think he wants to win ASAP, even though his roster is built for longer term success. I give it one year...and question if he makes it through the first year.
I heard that the Orioles were having talks with Joe Altobelli to bring back the good 'ole days, too.
Not many things in sports really bother me, I'm pretty good at enjoying and celebrating the good times and compartmentalizing the bad. Losing to Purdue last week? Yeah, that was too bad. Oh well.
This actually bothers me.
I hope I'm wrong.
This actually bothers me.
I hope I'm wrong.
Its like so much of the stuff with Hawkeye Sports....death by 1,000 cuts and one day you find yourself not caring if you miss a game or not.
There is still hope for Ozzie Guillen. If this is a trend, look for Ozzie back on the bench in 2046.
Ozzie would have been a far better hire. This is terrible.
Oh well...I guess I wont be bothering to try and see a game next year if COVID permits.
Oh well...I guess I wont be bothering to try and see a game next year if COVID permits.
When I was a 16-17 year old kid in the late 70s I went to a few games in Old Comiskey Park when the Sox had just hired LaRussa. At the time he was the youngest manager in the majors. I couldn’t believe when I heard this week he was going back there.
Last edited:
Not sure how to embed a tweet but:
Max Muncy after hitting a 3-run HR immediately after Tony La Russa intentionally walked Trea Turner with two strikes:
"You ****ing walk him with two strikes. **** you, bitch!"
This is two days in a row that he has made a head scratching decision. I think it is very clear at this point in the season that he is not the manager to lead this team.
Totally agree about players underperforming or not performing at all, so that only makes the in-game strategy more crucial. That is not his strength.
The best part is Steve Stone’s dryness
