White Sox: Ventura Makes it Official, Resigns as Manager
By Matt Manetti
The Robin Ventura era is over. The former 3B officially resigned from his post after five seasons. Ventura was 375-445 overall with one trip to the playoffs and one winning season as manager of the White Sox.
The Chicago White Sox will have a new manager. It came as no surprise when Robin Ventura announced he would not return to the team next season. Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times already reported the team plans to name Rick Renteria the team’s next manager.
Ventura’s career started off on a high note when he went 85-77 in his first season. The White Sox made a trip to the playoffs an it seemed like they were going in the right direction. Then, the free fall started. Four losing seasons later, Ventura is taking the high rode out of town and Renteria will try to pick up the pieces.
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This comes as no surprise. Ventura had become very unpopular among fans and many questioned in ability to manage the club. However, it still seems like he took the high rode. Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune reports he called this a personal decision and also felt like the team needed a new voice.
Renteria does have some managerial experience but the fact still remains this team isn’t very good. There are a lot holes to plug, which makes it difficult to pin all the blame on Ventura. However, it was probably for the best that he not return. The White Sox are going through a lot of changes and still trying to find their direction. If anything, he won’t have to worry about trying to manage a team with no direction an a somewhat divided front office. In the end, this may be a great career decision for him.
Who knows what he will do with his career or if he will still stay involved in baseball. There’s no doubt he was a great player for this organization but that doesn’t mean he can manage the team. It was no different than when the Blackhawks fired Denis Savard four games into the season and hired Joel Quenneville. That’s worked out pretty well for them. It’s asking a lot but we all hope that it works out the same way for our White Sox. At this point, I would take regular trips to the playoffs and an above .500 ball club, before another World Series.
Who manages your team is so important because a good manager can actually win you some games. If they name Renteria manager, which they are expected to do, this will be another scenario where they do not do a formal search. The main difference here is the guy they’re bringing in has major league managing experience. Let’s hope they get this hire right and Renteria can usher in a new era of White Sox baseball.