Report: Tony La Russa To Make Announcement On His Future

The future of ailing 78-year-old Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa will finally be decided on Monday, when, according to multiple reports, he will announce his retirement -- this time, for good. 

BREAKING:

According to @BNightengale, Tony La Russa will NOT be the manager next season for the Chicago White Sox. He will announce his retirement tomorrow.

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) October 2, 2022

La Russa was pulled out of the dugout of the terribly disappointing White Sox team back in August, when his doctors called to tell him to "leave the ballpark immediately," according to Bob Nightengale. He would then undergo a procedure to repair his pacemaker. 

 Perhaps doctors were alarmed when they saw him falling asleep in the dugout:

He's falling asleep and it's the first inning!!!! @whitesox please do something about this!!! pic.twitter.com/wEXht5v1Ow

— Moscow 🇺🇦 Mike (@moscowmike13) August 2, 2022

In mid-September he appeared in a private box to watch a couple of White Sox games, but after that, doctors told him that his managing days were over. 

Really, White Sox fans (and all baseball observers) could have told him that a long time ago. The beleaguered La Russa had been making puzzling and bizarre moves for two seasons, like publicly throwing his star rookie under the bus for hitting a grand slam on a 3-0 count (resulting in said rookie, Yermin Mercedes, going into a season-long funk and ending up out of the majors); like intentionally walking batters who already had two strikes on them... multiple times; like leaving an obviously-injured pitcher in to start a game (and then having Michael Kopech implode and exacerbate his injury).

Most things in life are hard to predict and end in ways we never see coming. Shout out to the Tony La Russa experience for not being like that and for turning out exactly as bad as we thought it would.

— Tyrone (@TheTyronePalmer) October 2, 2022

The Tony La Russa experience will end after two seasons. Who could've possibly seen this not working out? If Jerry Reinsdorf didn't stumble into Michael Jordan, he'd be considered one of the very worst professional sports owners of all time. He might be anyway. #WhiteSox

— James Fox (@JamesFox917) October 2, 2022

I think the benefits of Tony La Russa leaving the Sox will be significant. From energy to decision-making to player health, the guy’s harm ran deeper than a more typical bad manager. There’s still plenty of talent on the South Side to make 2023 interesting with a new leader.

— Patrick Nolan (@SoxMach_pnoles) September 28, 2022

Even well-respected MLB reporters have trashed La Russa, on multiple occasions.  

The White Sox were expected to run away with the weak AL Central division this season, but instead have wallowed around in mediocrity all season, and will finish the year more than 10 games out of the playoffs. 

The bizarre and doomed-to-failure Tony La Russa Experiment is finally over.  

Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports