The Chicago White Sox are not going to the playoffs in 2022 for various reasons. One of the biggest reasons is that Tony La Russa didn’t do an excellent job of managing the team. Unfortunately, a health issue forced him to leave the team in late August.
It wasn’t a baseball-related departure which is unfortunate but it was something that the team needed. They got a jolt from Miguel Cairo when he first took over but losing to the Cleveland Guardians put an end to the. It is unfortunate that they seemed to give up from there.
Clearly, following that loss to the Guardians, it was even more apparent that Tony wasn’t the only problem as the roster had some big-time flaws but they clearly need something new in 2023.
Now, Bob Nightengale of USA Today announced that Tony La Russa is going to announce his retirement. This is significant news for the White Sox as they try to get themselves back into contention going forward. His departure is something that is good news.
Sunday Notebook: Tony La Russa expected to announce retirement as White Sox manager; Pedro Martinez loving flair in game; #Astros potential front office change; more. https://t.co/9jllBAIJXS
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 2, 2022
We all know the story about how La Russa was hired by Jerry Reinsdorf without consulting the baseball people (Rick Hahn and Kenny Williams) under him. It was something that didn’t work out which should probably tell the owner that he should let the people that he hires make decisions.
The Chicago White Sox are going to be without Tony La Russa going forward.
It wasn’t all bad under La Russa. There were moments when he did a good job defending his guys in the dugout and made it clear that he cares about his players. They also made the playoffs in the first year which is really nice as they were one of the best teams in the American League.
Everyone wishes that things went better for the White Sox under La Russa. He is a nice man that is one of the best managers in the history of Major League Baseball. It is just tough that he wasn’t the right fit for the team in the modern day of baseball after taking a decade off.
It is nice for Tony La Russa that he can announce his second retirement on his own terms. He never has to be remembered for being fired or anything like that which is really nice. Hopefully, he gets himself healthy again and enjoys his retirement. When it was good, it was nice but it didn’t last.