(670 The Score) White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson chuckled at the end of his answer, well aware of the speculation, questions and sports talk radio debates.
How is the exuberant, expressive and unapologetic new-school Anderson going to handle playing for an old-school manager in the 76-year-old Tony La Russa who has long preached the need to respect the game?
"You know, I don't know, man,” Anderson said. “I've just been kind of reading what's going on and kind of learning that way, and kind of talking to people to get a better understanding. I'm looking forward to learning from him. There's a lot of news saying we may not get along. Hopefully we can get along and continue to do what the ultimate goal is, which is to try to win a championship on the South Side. I'm just ready to pick his brain, learn his knowledge and just try to make this as smooth as possible and try to have fun with it -- if he allows that."
Anderson’s last quip came after a dramatic pause, signaling the lightheartedness behind it. Anderson hasn’t yet heard from La Russa, who was officially hired on Oct. 29, but when he does, he plans to ask him what all the hubbub is about on that front.
“I’m excited to talk to him,” Anderson said. “I’m going to ask him, ‘Have you been reading? A lot of people are saying we aren’t going to get along.’ I’m going to ask him, ‘Why do you think that?’ We’ll see. I’m excited about it. Hopefully we can turn this negative around into a positive and keep moving and keep enjoying the game and having fun with it. We can’t get sidetracked from what the ultimate goal is.”
A White Sox fan favorite and a breakthrough star in MLB, Anderson also made clear he won’t change a bit.
“I won’t change my style and the way I play for Tony,” Anderson said while laughing again. “That won’t happen. I will continue to be me. I always have, and I always will be.
"Nothing changes, nothing changes. I’m going to keep having the same approach and keep having fun, and hopefully he’ll enjoy watching it as well.”
So how does he expect it to go after his first bat flip in 2021?
“We’ll see what happens I guess,” Anderson said. “If I do do a bat flip or whenever I pimp one, we’ll see what happens. But no, I will not be changing the way I play or the way I approach the game.”
Anderson spoke on a Zoom call Thursday evening after he won a Silver Slugger award along with a pair of teammates in first baseman Jose Abreu and left fielder Eloy Jimenez. The Silver Slugger award is given to the best offensive player at each position in the American League and National League.
It was the 27-year-old Anderson’s first such honor and came after he hit .322 with 10 homers, 21 RBIs, 45 runs and an .886 OPS in 49 games in the shortened 2020 season.
Abreu won a Silver Slugger for the third time in his career, while Jimenez was also a first-time winner. Jimenez was also asked about the White Sox’s hiring of La Russa, which came after they fired Rick Renteria on Oct. 12.
“What can I say? Tony is one of the greatest managers in the history of the game,” Jimenez said through a translator. “When I saw the news, I was excited to be managed by a guy like him. But at the same time, it was kind of like bittersweet news because I like Ricky too.”