Standing Pat With Robin Ventura is Not an Option
By Brett Pnazek
The 2015 season is a season that many people who follow the Chicago White Sox will want to forget. The offseason was filled with hopes of grandeur and even possibly a parade in November. Alas those hopes have been laid to rest by a team that has not only failed to meet expectations but has vastly under-performed to the point where something has to give.
My fellow Southside Showdown writer Erik Brown believes that Robin Ventura is safe because of club owner Jerry Reinsdorf’s loyalty to his managers. This is admirable and shows credence to Reinsdorf’s business acumen as changing your top decision makers on a yearly basis is bad for business. Though one could look to another one of Reinsdorf’s business ventures and say that he hasn’t exactly followed that loyalty over the years since Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan were winning NBA championships for the Chicago Bulls.
Jul 18, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf signs autographs prior to ceremonies to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2005 World Series championship before a game against the Kansas City Royals at U.S Cellular Field. Kansas City won 7-6 in 13 innings. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
It’s a fact that the White Sox have only had three managers since 1998, but Ozzie Guillen managed the team for about half those years and won a World Series in 2005 lest we all forget. Friends, Robin Ventura is not Guillen.
Heck he isn’t even Jerry Manuel who had a .515 winning percentage in his six seasons, but he at least made the postseason as a manager compared to Ventura’s .459 winning percentage in his almost four seasons at the helm with zero postseason appearances.
Ventura’s winning percentage is among the ninth lowest of any White Sox manager who managed the team for more than one season. For a team that has been around for over 110 years that is not very good my friends.
As a player Ventura was among one of my favorites. He played on the teams I remember growing up and will always be partly responsible for helping nurture my love of this wonderful game. This is a business though, and Rick Hahn needs to make a decision at season end whether to stick with the status quo or bring in someone who can spark a club that lacks fire and bring some leadership to as well.
Is it all on Ventura?
No, but the record speaks for itself. This team has consistently scuffled under his leadership. The team has been unable to groom young players into consistent contributors and he’s shown that in his four years of managing that he still makes mistakes that costs his team wins.
Reinsdorf is a smart man and he should see that the team on the North Side of town is here and relevant sooner than most people had thought. That means they’ll take attention away from his team which in turn affects his bottom line. He has put his faith in Hahn and with that in mind he needs to let him make a change to give his team a shot at competing in 2016, or else this team may fall even further behind in relevance in the city but also the sport.
So then Southside fans who do want to see managing in the dugout in 2016? I’ll be sharing my thoughts on that topic later.
Next: Avisail Garcia: Is 2016 a make or break year?