(670 The Score) Tony La Russa was surprised when he got the phone call.
White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf was on the other line. He and La Russa have shared a friendship that dates back to 1981, when Reinsdorf led a group that purchased the franchise that La Russa was leading as manager. Nearly four decades after La Russa was first hired as White Sox manager in 1979 and 34 years after he was fired midseason by the team, Reinsdorf wanted to know if he was interested in returning to that position.
The White Sox fired Rick Renteria on Oct. 12. They were seeking a proven replacement with a championship pedigree who could guide their young core forward. Reinsdorf first thought of the 76-year-old La Russa, bringing him in as a candidate for executive vice president Kenny Williams and general manager Rick Hahn.
On Thursday afternoon, the White Sox named the Hall of Famer La Russa as their new manager. It completed a process that took more than two weeks and "changed" with La Russa's interest, Hahn said.
"This was made with the intent solely of putting us in the best position to win championships," Hahn said. "It's easy to fall back on some old narratives that this was about friendship or potentially righting old wrongs.
"The process altered a little bit when Tony became the focus -- simply because out of fairness, we didn't want to mislead any other candidates and spring them along when in the end this was going to be the direction."
When Hahn spoke on Oct. 12 after Renteria's dismissal, he highlighted the desire to find a manager who had "recent October experience with a championship organization." That seemed to suggest former Astros manager A.J. Hinch or former Red Sox manager Alex Cora as possibilities. Then came a report from USA Today later that day indicating La Russa was a candidate. It was a shock to many in the baseball world.
The decision to hire La Russa was something Hahn called a collaboration with Reinsdorf and Williams. In a statement from the White Sox, Reinsdorf attempted to downplay his connection with La Russa in their hire.
"As everyone in baseball is well aware, I have always respected Tony and am proud to have maintained a great friendship with him over the decades in the game," Reinsdorf said. "But his hiring is not based on friendship or on what happened years ago, but on the fact that we have the opportunity to have one of the greatest managers in the game's history in our dugout at a time when we believe our team is poised for great accomplishments."
In the years after La Russa led the Cardinals to a World Series championship in 2011 and then announced his retirement, he had received interest from a few teams in returning as a manager, but it was never quite the right fit. He became the Diamondbacks' chief baseball officer in 2014 and observed the game from a different perspective. He won a championship ring in an advisory role with the Red Sox in 2018 and was a senior advisor in the Angels organization this past season.
But La Russa was never at peace with his retirement as a manager, even at the age of 76. He didn't want to watch baseball from a press box anymore.
"It was torture because you're seeing it and you can't do anything about it," La Russa said. "Soon there after, I realized I was either going to have stop complaining about being upstairs or go downstairs.
"My heart was always in the dugout."
Now the third-oldest manager in MLB history, La Russa will be challenged to adapt in an evolving game. He plans to embrace analytics while trusting that wealth of experience over a Hall of Fame career in making managerial decisions. La Russa must also gain the trust of a White Sox clubhouse that developed a tight-knit culture under the watch of Renteria.
The ultimate task for La Russa will be guiding a talented White Sox team to a World Series title. It's a goal they haven't been shy about, with Hahn noting multiple championships is the goal in this window of contention.
Reinsdorf believes La Russa can lead the White Sox to success, and that unexpected phone call became an even more surprising hire.
"In the end," Hahn said, "Tony was the choice because it is believed that Tony is the best man to help us win championships over the next several years."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
