Assessing the White Sox’s Tony La Russa hiring

As a 23-year-old baseball enthusiast and Chicago White Sox fan, two aspects of newly hired manager Tony La Russa’s career stand out the most for me. First was his tremendous success as the manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, where the Cardinals were a perennial powerhouse in the National League and brought home two World Series victories. Second was hearing about the White Sox firing the then-41-year-old La Russa during the middle of the 1986 season. La Russa already built a successful resume during his tenure with the White Sox, leading them to a 1983 AL West Championship. The move to fire La Russa in 1986 gained heavy scrutiny from both fans and the media. To make matters even worse, La Russa led the Oakland A’s to three consecutive World Series appearances from 1988-90, highlighted by a World Series title in 1989. Firing La Russa proved to be one of the greatest mistakes in the White Sox’ modern history.

            Fast forward to Oct. 29, when it was officially announced that La Russa would indeed become the next manager of the White Sox.  Just like La Russa’s firing in 1986, his hiring in 2020 gained massive criticism and I shared many of the same concerns as my fellow Sox fans. Can La Russa relate to the young White Sox roster? Will La Russa embrace analytics as many of today’s managers do? Can a 76-year old lead an up-and-coming team to greater heights after a 10-year hiatus as an MLB manager?

            Just a week after La Russa’s hiring, it was reported that he was charged with a DUI in Phoenix, Arizona, on Feb. 24. What made matters worse was that the responding officer described La Russa as argumentative and presumably asked the officer, “Do you see my ring?” La Russa continued by adding “I’m legit,” “I’m hall of famer brother,” and “you’re trying to embarrass me,” according to an article in the Chicago Tribune. These troubling reports have led many to call on the White Sox to immediately release La Russa from his managerial position. However, the White Sox released a statement on Nov. 12, exclaiming, “Tony deserves all the assumptions and protections granted to everyone in a court of law, especially while this is a pending matter. … Once his case reaches resolution in the courts, we will have more to say. The White Sox understand the seriousness of these charges,” as stated by the Chicago Tribune. Furthermore, 2020 American League MVP 1B José Abreu spoke with La Russa and told him that he “will have his back” moving forward, according to an NBC Sports article. As reported by MLB.com, SS Tim Anderson, one of baseball’s most outspoken players, also recently spoke with La Russa emphasizing the need for a fresh start.

            While La Russa’s hiring comes with great skepticism, I have to say that I am content with how members of the White Sox organization have handled the current situation. It’s important for the White Sox to wait for La Russa’s DUI charge to be resolved in court as he is entitled to due process just like anyone else. I greatly applaud both Anderson and Abreu for reaching out to La Russa. It’s important for teammates to let La Russa know that they will stand behind him during this troubling scenario and are committed more than ever to bringing a World Series title back to the South Side of Chicago. Sure, we don’t know the decision of the court regarding La Russa’s arrest yet, but the White Sox will need to make the best decision about his future after the trial. I have the utmost confidence that the White Sox will move in the right direction with their handling of La Russa’s DUI charge in the near future and play championship baseball in 2021, whether or not he will be in the dugout.

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