It's Really, Really Crazy That Tony LaRussa Is Our Manager...

Now don’t take this for anything other than what the title calls it -- it’s crazy. There’s some crazy good and some crazy bad, but I’m not sure sports fans have ever seen something like what the fans on the south side have going for them. Here’s a stat for you- Tony LaRussa has managed more than 2% of all the games in MLB history. That’s insane to think about. There’s just as much fat in the milk I drink as there are TLR games in the record books.

While that is an impressive stat, the fact that he coached a lot isn’t that crazy itself. The fact that an up-and-coming team fired their manager to hire someone who had already achieved so much, been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and been retired from managing for many years is what makes this so weird. At first, the hire raised questions because there were so many options, and a few that looked like good fits for the Southside.

Sox fans may soon have to realize that the grass could have been greener in the next few years as AJ Hinch, the offseason managerial pickup for the Detroit Tigers, is leading his young squad to fight for second in the AL Central. Hinch, not unlike LaRussa, had his fair share of red flags for some, as he was suspended the season prior for his share in the 2017 Astros cheating scandal. This begs the question, if you’re picking battles, why not go with the one who at least has had success this generation? I’ve asked myself this question many times over the past few months, but with the Sox a comfortable 11 games ahead of Cleveland in the middle of August, I’ve had to remind myself that I’m not the one making the decisions and there’s a reason for that.

After the original concern about TLR’s DUI’s (as my podcast partner Larry Larson was quick to point out on this week's HBP), the next main concern was his ability to connect with the team. The questions were warranted, as LaRussa is in fact closer in age to players on the 1919 World Series-winning White Sox than he is to his own pitcher Garret Crochet. Apart from the Yermin 3-0 situation, which the national media for some reason believes led to the downfall and future retirement for the 28 year old rookie, there hasn’t been a known issue between TLR and any of his players. They all honestly seem to love the guy, which would have seemed pretty damn crazy had you told me that when we hired the guy.

While his age may be closer to a different era of baseball, the results speak for themselves. LaRussa has his team sitting comfortably in first place and ready to make a postseason run. His presence honestly just adds to this being the most memorable Sox team of my life. Maybe the craziest thing about the entire situation is the fact that at the end of the day, it has worked. Tony, you sly son of a gun.