It is hard to believe Tony La Russa thinks he is not running the Chicago White Sox
By Todd Welter
What is not good is to see is Tony La Russa involved with the Chicago White Sox again.
Nothing has represented the start of the organization’s heel turn with its own fan base then La Russa’s second managing tenure. It was mostly a disaster. It brought the harsh reality that you can love a team, but you are powerless when you do not own it.
When Ricky Renteria was fired after the 2020 season, there was a sense that the White Sox were ready to make big moves to achieve big things.
Instead, Reinsdorf torpedoed that idea when he re-hired La Russa to make up for the regret he felt when Reinsdorf fired La Russa back in the mid-1980s. Tony would go on to win three World Series titles during his time managing the Oakland Athletics and the St. Louis Cardinals.
The problem was the game had dramatically changed after Tony retired in 2011. Reinsdorf ignored that for peace of mind instead of winning a World Series. The Chicago White Sox did win the AL Central in 2021, but they were mediocre down the stretch and got crushed by the Houston Astros in the ALDS.
2022 was a nightmare season as the team finished 81-81 despite being the most talented in the AL Central. They played uninspired baseball because of Tony’s ability to zap the energy out of a clubhouse. They played dumb baseball, and no one made worse managerial decisions than La Russa. For example, he inexplicably intentionally walked a batter on a 1-2 count that came back to bite him in embarrassing fashion.
Leadership dysfunction was another reason the Sox spiraled into mediocrity. You never knew who was in charge of the Chicago White Sox. Was it general manager Rick Hahn? Team president Kenny Williams? It was clear La Russa had a major influence on the team’s direction. He was rumored to prefer the club hit the ball on the ground instead of trying to hit home runs like Hahn preferred.