Does Sox Manager Tony La Russa Deserve Another Year? Of Course.

Chicago IL

13 October, 2021

6:40 PM

Description

CHICAGO – At 77 years old, Tony La Russa believes there's still some life in his managing career. But the White Sox skipper also is sage enough to not stick around somewhere he's not wanted, which appears to leave the subject of his future in Chicago up to someone else. While La Russa isn't intentionally inviting an "It's not you, it's me" conversation with Sox general manager Rick Hahn, he is leaving the door opened a crack to getting the boot after the Sox made an early playoff exit two years in a row. But that begs the question: Is La Russa ultimately responsible for the Sox falling short of their championship aspirations. The answer doesn't seem exactly clear. If you're asking me, one crack at it isn't enough to judge La Russa. Loading…Sure, if the Sox wait too long, continuing to kick the tires of a car, er, manager that's only getting older, they're losing ground on the chance of winning the multiple championships as Hahn envisioned when he started this rebuild. But let's face it, while the Sox didn't reach their ultimate goal, La Russa wasn't entirely the reason why. After Tuesday's 10-1 season-ending loss to the Houston Astros, La Russa used the chose "bittersweet" to characterize his feelings after the Sox had no answers for Houston over the four games the American League Division Series lasted. He pointed to the joy of winning the Central Division title by a comfortable margin, but then expressed disappointment that the postseason run didn't last longer. That was strikingly similar to how the guy he replaced, former Sox manager Rick Renteria, may have felt after the Sox lost to the Oakland Athletics in four games in the ALDS last year. So should La Russa's Hall of Fame credentials, three World Series championships and his status as a FOJ (Friend of Jerry Reinsdorf) earn him any more consideration to take another crack at the job next year? I think so, but that's for Hahn to decide. La Russa has his fair share of critics, which seems to outnumber those among the Sox fan base that actually think he's the right man for the job to carry the Sox toward contending for World Series championships. Central Division championship flags are nice, I suppose, but if 93 victories and winning your division don't amount to more than one postseason series appearance against stronger competition, does it really matter? It's probably fair to say that La Russa has won some of his players over in ways they didn't expect when he was hired. After Tuesday's loss, Sox starting pitcher Carlos Rodon heaped praise on La Russa, which is probably the same assessment many of his teammates would if asked about their overall experience playing for a manager who ranks No. 2 in baseball history in career victories. But winning a popularity contest doesn't necessarily equate to winning baseball games, especially the ones that matter. Now, it's up to Hahn and the rest of the Sox front office to decide if they want to hand La Russa the keys to the car again or if they need to go with a different driver to get the Sox to the ultimate destination they desire. A decision on who manages the Sox needs to be made sooner rather than later just to allow for some continuity in the work that remains to be done to get the Sox closer to winning a World Series championship. There will be moves to be made, players to be acquired and plans to be drawn out for the season. But the first priority should be deciding on how takes care of the team's day-to-day business on the field, If you ask La Russa —which reporters did before Tuesday's game —if he wants to still be in charge, he's going to say yes. He wants to be the one to either get the Sox to a World Series or closer than they did in his first season and that he wants to finish what he started this year. But if Hahn decides he's better suited in another role or in another place, La Russa said he would rather not be in the position to have the job that no one else wants him to have. Either way, La Russa wants someone else to make the call and then fill him in on the decision. "You don't want to come back (just) because you got a contract. I would just leave if they don't want you back," La Russa told reporters Tuesday. " (If) they say yes, then you ask the players. They should choose who they want to manage. If you get both of those, then you check yourself. "You check and see whether you've got the desire to continue to manage. I do." Now, with the check seemingly passed on the powers that be, it's up to someone other than La Russa to either pick up the check, continue to pay the bill for his services or decide if they want to see if a third manager in as many years can produce any better results. La Russa did enough to get another chance, but maybe others believe that maybe the third time (with a third manager) will be the charm.