Being a rookie manager can’t be easy. Especially in a large town like Chicago where every decision is scrutinized and put under a microscope. Obviously Ventura doesn’t care about that and isn’t scared. He looked past veterans Matt Thorton and Jesse Crain. Didn’t go to the promising youngster Addison Reed to be the closer. Instead he chose a guy who had 5.1 innings pitched in his major league career.

Whether the move works long term is still up in the air. Santiago has a lot of talent and could be a great closer going forward or he could fail and go back to being a middle reliever. What matters is Ventura has command of that team and is not afraid to make a call no matter who it affects as long as it’s for the good of the team.

White Sox fans should be excited about their manager going forward. He did something in his first major league win some 20 year veteran managers would never do. Buck the trend and go with what he thought is right.