Tony La Russa named Manager

[RagahRagah]

1 hour ago, SonofaRoache said:

Yeah but AJ Hinch ain't winning shit in Detroit. 

That really isn't the point. Doesn't really make me feel any better.

[Vote4Pedro]

2 minutes ago, fathom said:

I wonder if this makes Benintendi more of an option for the Sox, as Tony was there when he was getting started?

Another project....yay.....complete trash 

[Balta1701]

2 minutes ago, ChiSoxJon said:

Even if this is the case (which I think is being blown out of proportion), who is Rick Hahn? Mr. Executive of the Year is not the second coming as I think we've all seen for almost a decade now

No one here has been harder on Rock Hahn than me and the White Sox clearly downgraded their whole front office today.

[TitoMB345]

4 minutes ago, southsideirish71 said:

Well the whole co-manager thing worked well at Dunder-Miflen.   Sign me up for the real life version.  

?

[fathom]

2 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

Benintendi sucks so I hope not. 

Agreed but we know the Sox have always loved him

[southsideirish71]

Just now, fathom said:

Agreed but we know the Sox have always loved him

And signing a free agent costs money.  All this cost is prospects.  At this point, JR has made his choice.  He wont part with money, but everything else be damned.  

[Orlando]

Quote from the new Athletic article is very bad in my opinion:

 

”La Russa said he has not spoken to any White Sox players yet, but Sox players who spoke to The Athletic ranged from cautiously open-minded, to dismissive and derisive in their reaction to the hiring. Other Sox officials expressed shock, even though Reinsdorf’s preference for La Russa has only grown more clear over the last few weeks. They’ll all show up in Arizona in February ready to work and win, but there’s a skepticism that will have to be overcome.”

Edited October 30, 2020 by Orlando

[ChiSoxJon]

2 minutes ago, Orlando said:

Quite from the new Athletic article is very damning :

 

”La Russa said he has not spoken to any White Sox players yet, but Sox players who spoke to The Athletic ranged from cautiously open-minded, to dismissive and derisive in their reaction to the hiring. Other Sox officials expressed shock, even though Reinsdorf’s preference for La Russa has only grown more clear over the last few weeks. They’ll all show up in Arizona in February ready to work and win, but there’s a skepticism that will have to be overcome.”

I do wish TLR had an idea of a potential staff..Hopefully he's begun to reach out to players

[fathom]

3 minutes ago, Orlando said:

Quite from the new Athletic article is very damning :

 

”La Russa said he has not spoken to any White Sox players yet, but Sox players who spoke to The Athletic ranged from cautiously open-minded, to dismissive and derisive in their reaction to the hiring. Other Sox officials expressed shock, even though Reinsdorf’s preference for La Russa has only grown more clear over the last few weeks. They’ll all show up in Arizona in February ready to work and win, but there’s a skepticism that will have to be overcome.”

And that reaction by the players is a worst case scenario here. Thank god there’s no transfer portal.

[Vote4Pedro]

2 minutes ago, Orlando said:

Quite from the new Athletic article is very damning :

 

”La Russa said he has not spoken to any White Sox players yet, but Sox players who spoke to The Athletic ranged from cautiously open-minded, to dismissive and derisive in their reaction to the hiring. Other Sox officials expressed shock, even though Reinsdorf’s preference for La Russa has only grown more clear over the last few weeks. They’ll all show up in Arizona in February ready to work and win, but there’s a skepticism that will have to be overcome.”

I wonder where Keuchel lands on this outlook ? I bet he’s an unhappy camper, I have a feeling he may have been told one thing and then found out blindly about this hire.....

[TheBlackSox8]

If this proves out to be a disaster hire, we're in for a world of hurt here.  Sox can lose their relationship and status with the players on the team and around the league, maybe enough for players to jump ship.  Hahn will leave, there's no way he accepts defeat in hiring a manager and having that turn out in disaster only to stay in his postion. 

If this proves to be an excellent hire(let's face it, the ceiling here is moderately good hire) then TLR gives the Sox 2-4 years max?  Do they win the series in those years?  Do they make the playoffs all of those years? What performance do we accept here as fans?  What personnel can La Russa bring in to calm our nerves here?

[Vote4Pedro]

Can I change my username to WeekendAtTonys now? This is no longer going to be on Hahn when this is said and done with 

[ChiSoxJon]

So, we all would have preferred Hinch? If not Hinch, than who? Cora is not an option

We upgraded from RR today and for that I am ecstatic...nice man, horrible manager

[VAfan]

Just going to post this here. I wrote it on the Pro-LaRussa thread.

**************

I can't believe all the nonsense being written about Tony LaRussa. Nearly all of it comes from people who have no concept of what it takes to be a major league manager. 

It's entirely possible that this won't work out. But no one knows that. 

A lot of people hated the Sox decision to extend Jose Abreu for 3 years. Where are you now, after his MVP season? 

Tony LaRussa has a record that puts him solidly in the conversation for most accomplished manager of all time. I mean, I think you have to discount any manager from the whites-only era of baseball, before Jackie Robinson integrated the game. They might have put up some great numbers, but it was a racist game. 

If you look only at managers after 1950, for sheer volume of wins and championships, you only have LaRussa and Sparky Anderson, each of whom won 3 WS titles with teams from both the AL and NL. But LaRussa's accomplishments are much deeper and more impressive than Anderson's. Perhaps Bruce Bochy deserves mention with 4,000+ games, but he has a career losing record and won with only the Giants and Ross Bumgardner. 

LaRussa v. Sparky

2,728 wins v. 2,194 wins.

3 WS titles v. 3 WS Titles. But Anderson did it with two squads - back-to-back with the Reds and 1984 with the Tigers. LaRussa had a dominant Oakland team that won 3 pennants in a row and a WS in between. But the Cardinals WS victories were 6 years apart.  LaRussa also led the White Sox to 99 wins with the 1983 "winning ugly" squad. 

4x manager of year v 2x manager of year

5,093 games v. 4,028 games

The list can go on. 

The point is that Tony LaRussa's stature and record as a manager should have earned him some respect.  He knows vastly more about baseball and people than anyone on this blog who denigrates him. I'll bet a lot of the critics here weren't even alive when he started managing in 1979.

I don't know how this is going to turn out. Nor does anyone else. 

But I'm willing to see what happens. I'd certainly take LaRussa over the cheaters Hinch and Cora. Hinch got outmanaged last year by Dave Martinez, and Cora as the instigator of the cheating is beyond redemption. 

As a white guy, LaRussa is also bilingual, which is critical for this clubhouse. He won't need a translator. 

As for the kneeling issue, LaRussa answered that question in the press conference and Jason Benetti interview. He's changed his views. He also praised Tim Anderson for the energy and passion he brings to the game. 

LaRussa couldn't have managed so successfully over 3 different teams, 33 years, with countless different personalities if he didn't know how to navigate a clubhouse. It would seem that these players, if they are hungry to win, ought to be looking for leadership in that regard from LaRussa rather than demanding that he make changes for them, when they haven't accomplished anything as a team. I'm not saying they have to "fall in line" or anything like that. I just think there's an opportunity for a good marriage here because they want to win, and Tony LaRussa definitely wants to win. 

As for analytics, LaRussa just said at the press conference that "information is king."  He's a lawyer. He's always had an analytical mind, and has always sought every edge. But he's not a blind adherent to data. He also applies "observational analytics" within a given game because he's watching what's going on. 

LaRussa doesn't have anything left to prove in baseball. But he still was itching for one more opportunity. That tells me he wanted this and will work hard to make it work.

So, I'm not predicting this will work. It may, it may not. I think it has a good shot to succeed, but it will depend on the players, and getting better pitching. 

But I strongly feel that LaRussa has more than earned the chance, and is not deserving of the heap of scorn being dumped on him by Sox fans.  

[The Hawk]

6 minutes ago, Orlando said:

Quote from the new Athletic article is very bad in my opinion:

 

”La Russa said he has not spoken to any White Sox players yet, but Sox players who spoke to The Athletic ranged from cautiously open-minded, to dismissive and derisive in their reaction to the hiring. Other Sox officials expressed shock, even though Reinsdorf’s preference for La Russa has only grown more clear over the last few weeks. They’ll all show up in Arizona in February ready to work and win, but there’s a skepticism that will have to be overcome.”

Renteria was very popular with the Hispanic players on the team who coincidently are the majority of their best players. Perhaps, the smart move would be for bringing in Alomar in as the bench coach if he doesn't get a manager's job?

[Y2Jimmy0]

3 minutes ago, HahnsKiddieTable said:

I wonder where Keuchel lands on this outlook ? I bet he’s an unhappy camper, I have a feeling he may have been told one thing and then found out blindly about this hire.....

Oh yeah. He thought they were getting Hinch. 

[Y2Jimmy0]

5 minutes ago, fathom said:

And that reaction by the players is a worst case scenario here. Thank god there’s no transfer portal.

I hope Tony quits in spring training. It'd be hilarious. I wish there was a way for the players to win and Reinsdorf to lose somehow. 

[BigHurt3515]

The longer we don't hear from players the worse this looks

[35thstreetswarm]

3 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

I hope Tony quits in spring training. It'd be hilarious. I wish there was a way for the players to win and Reinsdorf to lose somehow. 

Yeah, that would be fantastic for the team.  

[ChiSoxJon]

6 minutes ago, The Hawk said:

Renteria was very popular with the Hispanic players on the team who coincidently are the majority of their best players. Perhaps, the smart move would be for bringing in Alomar in as the bench coach if he doesn't get a manager's job?

That'd be ideal, Espada too

But, TLR has spoke Spanish since childhood

[The Hawk]

2 minutes ago, BigHurt3515 said:

The longer we don't hear from players the worse this looks

They just named him for cripes sake. He hasn't even hired a staff yet, especially a pitching coach. Hiring a manager doesn't require getting a team's player approval, even in this day and age of pampered athletes.

[The Hawk]

1 minute ago, ChiSoxJon said:

That'd be ideal, Espada too

But, TLR has spoke Spanish since childhood

I can speak Spanish also. That doesn't make me Latin. Big difference, right?

[Orlando]

1 minute ago, The Hawk said:

They just named him for cripes sake. He hasn't even hired a staff yet, especially a pitching coach. Hiring a manager doesn't require getting a team's player approval, even in this day and age of pampered athletes.

With La Russa’s history and today’s climate it should. 

[Look at Ray Ray Run]

Jeeeezus, we've already got guys making posts regurgitating the made up word that is not a real thing that Larussa used "observational analytics." 

Thats not a thing. Its an idiots way of saying my eyes are a database. 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Look at Ray Ray Run

[The Hawk]

1 hour ago, Vulture said:

Exactly why they wouldn't get along. Mellow guys generally can't stand ass holes.

By mellow I mean not a hothead or a loudmouth. I don't think that Moncada will have a problem with LaRussa because Moncada, to me is a prototypical pro's pro on how he handles himself in the game. I doubt if LaRussa would ever mess with how Moncada conducts his affairs. My concern is with Tim Anderson. That's a different personality entirely.