(670 The Score) Exactly six weeks ago Tuesday, White Sox ace Lucas Giolito struck out eight batters while throwing seven terrific innings against the Athletics. Star shortstop Tim Anderson had three hits in his first career playoff game, backing up his entertaining brashness that was emblematic of his team’s entire season.
The White Sox won their first playoff game in 12 years with swagger on that Sept. 29 afternoon. Their fans had swagger.
The 2020 White Sox experience was awesome in what was undoubtedly a season before their hopeful and expected window of contention. The offense was explosive and productive, the roster was chock full of great stories and award candidates of the present and future led the way each night. The White Sox were blending before our eyes and maturing as a group that everyone in the game had to pay heed.
Today, White Sox fans are deeply embarrassed.
It's because a manager was foisted upon a front office that, try as it may, couldn't hide its disappointment through gritted teeth. When the White Sox announced Tony La Russa as their new manager on Oct. 29, general manager Rick Hahn looked like a hostage, assuring a hopeful nation that everything was fine while we all could sense the electrodes taped to his chest.
The news that broke Monday night then added an extra absurd level of ignominy. La Russa was arrested in February on suspicion of driving under the influence, as ESPN first reported, and then formally charged on Oct. 28, a day before the White Sox hired him. The White Sox knew about the incident before hiring him, a team spokesman told various outlets. They chose not to factor it in to their hiring “process.” La Russa already pled guilty to DUI back in 2007.
The White Sox also somehow chose to not get out in front of this mess from a public relations standpoint. On Monday night, they quickly sent word to their chosen leak receptacle, USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale, that La Russa wouldn't be disciplined in any way despite the arrest and was in no danger of losing his new job.
White Sox fans bought into the rebuild after the 2016 season, trusting Hahn as he sought to escape the mediocrity in which they once were mired. The fans' faith had been rewarded in 2020, all the way through managerial and pitching coach firings in October that further showcased a future that had finally arrived.
Those fans now feel actively insulted by a managerial hiring “process” that was a complete sham, obvious to all as owner Jerry Reinsdorf dictated what he wanted to do with his toy. An embarrassing DUI for La Russa that was marked by an “argumentative” arrest did nothing to derail the plan in private, and the surprise reveal Monday will seemingly do nothing to reverse the course in public.
It’s almost too absurd to be taken seriously. Almost.
It's one thing to believe your personal hire who speaks to your value system is smarter than everyone else, to believe that any potential bad press and bad feeling will be alleviated by the winning your choices guarantee. The apathy is Reinsdorf’s right. As one of his greatest and most honest former employees in Paul Konerko said, “It’s the golden rule -- he who has the gold makes the rules.”
It's quite another to have blatant disregard for what your own employees and fans feel emotionally. This populace -- and so many within your own organization -- are hurting.
The disdain from the top is gross. It comes across as willful malice. And somehow, the shame seems to escape Reinsdorf. Must be nice.
Winning would cover a lot of this. But loving a team, especially in baseball, is about far more than winning. It’s about pride, often generational pride. It’s about valuing a relationship that, despite potential intellectual disconnect, genuinely feels like it goes both ways.
The White Sox's hiring of La Russa does tremendous damage to that feeling, and to many, that damage might be irreparable.
Matt Spiegel hosts Hit & Run and Inside the Clubhouse on 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MattSpiegel670. For more from and about Spiegel visit www.mattspiegel.com.