I don't have a person in mind except my main criteria would be that the person would have no past connection with the White Sox. This was one time that JR needed to step out of his comfort zone and not hire someone just because he likes him. What if LaRussa doesn't work out for whatever reason? JR will not be able to fire the guy for a second time. The team then will be stuck with a wrong manager.

Maybe LaRussa will work out. But his Hall of Fame experience has nothing to do with whether he is the right man for the team or not. This just doesn't feel right. We, as fans, can only hope things go smoothly and the team progresses more in 2021. But Tony LaRussa would never have been my choice. Time to let the past go.

On 10/29/2020 at 5:35 PM, Texsox said:

Alomar. 

But I'm a broken record. He's been my first choice for three openings now.

Alomar was my choice too.

So much so I thought it was a slam-dunk. 

 

Edited October 31, 20205 yr by GradMc

I think Hinch was a worse choice than La Russa.  Bochy would have been cool

If I would have known Bochy was interested in managing again, he'd have been my choice. 

4 hours ago, poppysox said:

No one knows who the best available manager would have been...we just have opinions.  That's the fun of being a fan being able to pontificate from the cheap seats.

And we will never know because they didn't even try.  There is zero chance a healthy functional front office lands on Tony LaRussa as the best candidate for this team in the year 2020.  

 

On 10/29/2020 at 8:21 PM, Texsox said:

I agree they didn't hire the best available. If they immediately zeroed in on Bochy for example would you feel the same way about a search?

I would be mildly upset that they didn't interview others, but I wouldn't feel gut punched, livid, and or alienated as a fan.  Bochy wouldn't be my first choice but there aren't any massive waving red flags that make me question the functional health of the front office.

The thing about Bochy is he won three world series with teams that were very good but not stacked with dominant players, like LaRussa's teams or the Dodgers or Hinch's Astros. If those teams didn't come away with a World Series it would have been an abject failure. Bochy won with good teams playing tight, sound  baseball. Any of Bochy's teams lose in the championship series, they could've said, hey, we still had a hell of a year.

Edited October 31, 20205 yr by Vulture

On 10/29/2020 at 5:41 PM, South Side Hit Men said:

I didn’t want to start the thread with my choice, but I selected other. Joe Espada, if available, would have been my first choice, at least to interview. I would have conducted a broad search, and let the interviews combined with prior experience dictate the hire. I agree @SouthWallace at minimum there should have been a thorough and legitimate managerial search. 
 

Have to go back to either Ozzie or Jerry Manuel as the last time the White Sox conducted a legitimate search of multiple external candidates. At minimum, an extended search gives you ideas outside of the organization.
 

Hahn stated the search would not be insular during the Renteria firing press conference, which was obviously not the case.

Disappointed, but not surprised, because this team was always run as a fiefdom vs. a legitimate professional organization. 

Agreed. Espada would have been great. Worked his way into that clubhouse & five years later, after two or three rings, it’s a free agent destination & one of the most respected teams in the league. 
 

cue up Dream Weaver please 

On 10/30/2020 at 2:00 PM, A-Train to 35th said:

Nothing Bernstein say's is worth a crap.

The point is Reinsdorf has whined for decades his biggest  sports related mistake was allowing Hawk to fire TLR.

So in this case attempting to right an perceived ancient wrong is exactly what Reinsdorf did.

TLR was an absolute disaster in the Diamondbacks front office.

So he comes his best bud Jerry to swoop in and save the day.

They both need to sail away. It got so bad the fans here in Chicago booed TLR every time he went to the mound.

 

 

My choices.

1. Ozzie Guillen

2. La Russa

3. Bochy

4. Ned Yost