White Sox manager Tony La Russa has been on a health-related leave of absence since August 30, but he met with his team in person in Oakland this weekend. La Russa was given the go-ahead by doctors to make the trip from his home in Arizona, as La Russa wanted to be in attendance when Dave Stewart had his number retired by the Athletics today.
Meeting with reporters (including Janie McCauley of The Associated Press and Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times) today, the 77-year-old La Russa said it was still “uncertain” about whether or not he would be able to return to the White Sox dugout.
“I don’t plan to be in uniform until [doctors] say it’s time to be in uniform,” La Russa said. “I don’t know if they want me at the park or not. The most important thing for me is you don’t want to be a distraction. I don’t want to be a distraction. That’s why it’s best to let it run its course, and in the meantime [the team is] concentrating on the game they’re playing.”
The exact nature of La Russa’s health problem wasn’t known, but he told McCauley that he had a pacemaker inserted. The manager told the media that he also had a heart issue during Spring Training, and on August 30, doctors “had some information they needed to address” about the problem that required La Russa to immediately step away from the White Sox. “They fixed it, now it’s a question of regaining strength….I’ve had my issue fixed, I’m mending,” La Russa noted.
La Russa hasn’t entirely stepped away, as he said he still makes multiple calls per day to bench coach and acting manager Miguel Cairo. The Sox have posted a 9-3 record in La Russa’s absence, a surge has kept Chicago in the hunt for the AL Central title and on the outskirts of the wild card race. Apart from three games against the Padres and four games against the division-leading Guardians, the White Sox have one of the easier remaining schedules of any team in baseball, making them a team to watch down the stretch.
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
I’m not sure about La Russa, good or bad as a manager, but he was a good player when I remember him, & most likely good for baseball. Good luck for you T LaR
nowheredan
Well this is an interesting take.
Srechter35
He has 176 career at bats as a player, ending in 1973. He is already in the hall of fame as a manager. What on earth is this take lmao
louwhitakerisahofer
I know his career WAR was -.6, but those 6RBI’s back in 1970 were all clutch AB’s.
Curly Was The Smart Stooge
Joe McCarthy (1926-1950), Frank Selee (1890-1905), and Earl Weaver (1968-1986), are the only three managers who never played a single Major League ballgame..
Keep running your jaws. Earl Weaver?
Lefty_Orioles_Fan
Epic from what I understand
However, I wonder if the commenter is confusing LaRussa with Joe Torre
ruthplayedthetuba
Whatever makes you sleep at night dude.
NPB58
Huh? AJ Hinch never wore a uniform…period.
User 2079935927
Hmm you don’t remember him managing the A’s to World Series wins? Interesting.
barkinghumans77
More recently the Cardinals WS wins in ’06, ’11
A'sfaninUK
Remembering 170 ABs instead of like 40 years of managing is a brainbroke not seen on these boards in many moons if ever
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Still had more AB’s than Moonlight Graham..
GmanGoon
Good comment Curly. I concur. Well done.
Too much holier than though commenters here, none of us perfect.
I liked your balanced take. Well done again
IndianRye
We may not be perfect but we surely haven’t risked multiple peoples lives on several occasions, and that’s just the known ones.
fisher40
Not sure about him a manager? He does have 3 WS rings you know
Hannibal8us
They’re a better team without him. Time for Tony to ride off into the sunset.
Joe says...
He should get someone else to drive though.
Fire Krall
with a cold 40!
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Ichiro’s bat warmer was better. And 40’s are very overrated. They get warm far too fast.
phillyphilly4133
Nice career
A'sfaninUK
Yeah hey quick question: why was he hired, again?
Hello, Newman
HOF, experience, and knowledge
Cam
A perfect storm – Jerry Reinsdorf is incredibly out of touch, and TLR is friends with him. Right place, right time, right level of madness
Holy Cow!
Jerry regretted it when Hawk fired Tony in the eighties.
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Donny, they’re nihilists.
georgebell 2
He won 3 World Series with stacked teams that each featured an all time top 50 player. I’m also unsure why he was hired.
LFGMets (Metsin7)
@georgebell 2 Bad take, there are many teams with all time greats that havent won anything (Angels with Ohtani and Trout). The manager can make or break a team. The Braves were always stacked with Bobby Cox managing, got first place every year in the division, but the Braves hardly won many world series
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Managers can definitely make or break a game. Look what Scioscia did to the Angels in the 09 ALCS vs the Yanks.
5toolMVP
What did Scioscia do to the Angels in 09 ALCS vs Yanks? Explain…
Scioscia’s for the most part, owned the Yankees in his tenure. Didn’t win them all but he beat them more than nearly every opponent. Scioscia’s Angels held 1st or 2nd best win% vs Yankees from 2000-2015 or so. Also see 2002 and 2005 playoffs vs Yanks.
5toolMVP
@LFGMets. The key part of the equation is STACKED teams, the Angels with Trout/Ohtani are not stacked, they do have the all time top 50 player part locked up though.
georgebell 2
The best team doesn’t always win. But that doesn’t mean that the guy filling out the lineup card is heavily tilting the odds. Having a well rounded loaded team gives you the best chance of winning and Larussa had the good fortune and timing to be hired. Same could be said about the loaded Yankees teams and managers.
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5Tool, I don’t like to think or talk about it. It was a terrible repressed memory up until recently. You understand right o’l sport?
Unclenolanrules
’06? 2011? You high?
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My apologies my good man. Did he smite them out of the playoffs those years as well? It’s been a while..
30 Parks
Good time to walk away from a bad idea.
Hello, Newman
Get well Tony!!
tanner829 2
Just go away! Baseball will be better off without you. It’s ok-
waterdog311
Uhhhh, he’s in the HOF, so it actually might be better off without you. You may not like him, but nobody even knows who you are to make a judgment on. So if you DO go away, make sure to let us know….otherwise we’ll have no idea you even left.
waterdog311
Uhhhh, he’s in the HOF, so it actually might be better off without you. So if you DO go away, make sure to let us know….otherwise we’ll have no idea you even left.
SplitFingeredPujol
Uhhhh quit life
IronBallsMcGinty
It get this feeling that if the Sox make the playoffs he’ll be back with the team but if they fall apart, he’ll stay away.
TrueOutcomeFan
Had heard the situation was much worse. Glad that was wrong.
Enrico Pallazzo
Later dude. Hope you find your dad
Rick Pernell
This is the manager that turned a blind eye to steroid abuse in Oakland and St. Louis.
mattmooney33
The MLB as a whole turned a blind eye to steroid abuse. The majority of the substances that people were using weren’t banned at the time in the MLB. Maybe if they did the drug testing and banned the steroids like the NFL maybe things would of been different. The commissioner, owners, and players didn’t care they were all making millions of dollars. They only started caring when reports, allegations, etc… all started coming out
joefriday1948
No other profession is so negative (and ineffective) with steroids. Fine or suspend players no more than 30 days.
kmk1986
Get off your high horse
Kruk's Beer League
Maybe talk about Bud Selig in this regard instead.
LordD99
Negative comments regarding a 77-year-old with serious health problems are telling, and what it tells about those commenters is not good.
crazybaseballgal
Thank you
SplitFingeredPujol
I’m old. Being old isn’t an excuse for being a dick
Dogbone
Lol, Pujol, exactly.
joefriday1948
What about getting Willard Wayne Terwilliger to step in temporarily. The Twig has the personality and patience to provide energy and life to the team.
johnnybadd2019
He should be sitting next to Reindorf being an advisor to the team
kmk1986
Ya I’m sure the whitesox would love that la Russa is done
Oldman58
Reinsdorf hired Tony for one last hurrah and then they could walk off into the sunset hand in hand. The plan hasn’t worked out, Tony has proven to be out of touch with today’s players and has done nothing to give the Sox any advantage. The team has surged since Tony left the dugout, and because of his health this is the exit strategy they needed not to bring him back next year
GarryHarris
I don’t think Tony LaRussa is out of touch with modern players. I think he’s had his day just as John McGraw, Wilbert Robinson, Bill McKechnie, Connie Mack, Casey Stengel, Sparky Anderson and Jim Leyland before him. Unfortunately, age deteriorates our cognition over time.
OJ's White Ford Bronco
Jerry wanted his old drinking Buddy back. Nothing more – Nothing Less.
Both should step away.
I’m just saying
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The Juice is LOOSE again!
SplitFingeredPujol
I’m old. Never seen a worse manager. He wasn’t just “bad” he rewrote the book on bad.
GarryHarris
Jim Leyland was pretty bad his last few years. Allan Trammel wasn’t old but he was the worst manager I ever witnessed.
hyraxwithaflamethrower
While I hope he gets better, I also hope he uses this as a golden opportunity to retire without admitting defeat, getting fired, or getting relegated to some advisory position. The Sox are playing better under Cairo (small sample size, but still) and retiring due to medical reasons is a reason nobody would fault him for. Everybody can win here.
dr. remulak
I’ll always remember him as the guy who said Donaldson made a “racist” remark for repeating the self-comparison that his SS Anderson made.
Melchez17
Who is managing the team?
Dogbone
Hawkeroo from South Bend.
OJ's White Ford Bronco
Pierzynski
I’m just saying
AllAboutBaseball
Even As someone who doesn’t follow the White Sox you can clearly see he was never a good fit
Dock_Elvis
I haven’t been a fan of his managing since Oakland, but wish him well on a speedy recovery. There’s bigger things in the world than the game.