BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – AUGUST 23: Manager Tony La Russa #22 of the Chicago White Sox looks on against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on August 23, 2022 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
White Sox manager Tony La Russa has been roasted throughout 2022, so it’s more than a little ironic that he’s calling for more fire from his team.
There have been many moments throughout the 2022 season that have caused Chicago White Sox fans to call for Tony La Russa to be fired. His decision-making has been suspect at best and his team has been underperforming, even with the injuries they’ve had to endure. But perhaps the most egregious snafu came in early August when cameras appeared to catch La Russa dozing off in the dugout.
On Saturday after a loss at home to the Diamondbacks, though, the White Sox fell below .500 (63-64) for the season and were further in danger of missing out on the playoffs.
And Mr. Sleepyhead himself unironically looked at the situation with his club and said that the team didn’t need to panic but needed to be motivated and show fire to turn things around down the final month of the season.
White Sox: Tony La Russa, who may or may not have fallen asleep in the dugout, calls for team to show fire
How rich is it for a man who looked to be falling asleep on the job to ask for his team to be angry and fired up by falling below .500? That’s peak levels of lacking self-awareness right there. Maybe La Russa should teach a class on that after he’s almost surely relieved of his duties at season’s end.
Yes, the White Sox have been fighting an uphill battle for much of the season with injuries to Tim Anderson, Luis Robert, Eloy Jimenez and many others plaguing the team and costing them time from the best players on the roster. But if it’s an uphill battle they’ve been fighting, La Russa has been at the top like Donkey Kong rolling barrels down the hill at his team at many points.
His latest comments are just more evidence that the situation is just untenable for La Russa on the Southside. With the way fans have already been reacting, there might be a protest outside Guaranteed Rate Field if the manager isn’t gone after this season, particularly if they do continue forward and miss the postseason.