White Sox hire Tony La Russa, now in the hunt for 2004 AL Central

Today the Chicago White Sox hired a three-time World Series champion and Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer to manage their baseball team.

Tony La Russa, who brings 33 years of managerial experience and over 5,000 games as a skipper, is the latest hire of the South Siders.

White Sox fans must be elated to bring such a well-known winner to their team... right??

Feel the excitement, 2021 Pale Hose!

La Russa won a lot of games, but never made a ton of friends in baseball. It explains the need for headlines like this:

While La Russa certainly was on the cutting edge of some of the analytics revolution of baseball, his ability to rub people the wrong way was unmatched, as was fighting with reporters in press conferences. Also some of his trends, such as hitting his pitcher while in the National League in the eighth spot in the order, have been shown to be a bit of a show instead of actually helping his teams win.

And for someone with a law degree, his legal takes are not the best either. A graduate of both America’s Finest Institution of Higher Learning, The University of South Florida, as well as Florida State Law, he’s spent a lot of time reminding people of that fact.

Maybe La Russa has truly changed, and can keep up with the modern statistical revolution in the sport. But let’s just say he’s got a lot to prove to both the fans and likely his roster if he’s going to get things headed in the right direction.

The White Sox are currently listed at +1500 to win the 2021 World Series at DraftKings Sportsbook.