It’s time to talk (again) about Tony

Last night, what was scheduled as an early night game was delayed by rain by almost three hours, so in that spare time, I recreated what Tony La Russa said on Friday after he was asked about calling for an intentional walk on 1-2, again, and yes, this was the actual transcript.

“It’s the best matchup. Try to figure out, OK, if we gotta get this out, what’s the best …matchup for us … so … you know … to me it’s … one guy, and if he pitches for (inaudible) ... it’s … why … (inaudible) hundred baseball games … Turner … (inaudible).”

Our budget here at SSS is $0.00 for the audio-visual extras, so forgive my less-than-hilarious attempts to make you forcefully push air out of your nose in one of those inaudible laughs. I have no other medium in which to express my exasperated disbelief that commentators are still defending this assclown’s strategies.

La Russa’s moves are not decisions that are part of some magical master plan from the School of Hall-of-Famer Baseball Persons that us plebes aren’t privy to in our limited non-professional baseball experience. Has anyone across baseball, inside baseball, defended or deftly explained these ahead-in-the-count called walks? No. Is the Hall of Fame skipper simply reading the body language of his pitcher, or the defense — the same team who he’d supposedly been watching for several innings — and decide that his supernatural powers of perception are able to glean information that common sense can’t grasp? Of course not. Has Tony considered at all how insulting (or, in the case of a younger pitcher, demoralizing) it is to essentially tell his own reliever that he doesn’t trust him to throw one strike? Nope.

Tony was asleep, and he woke up suddenly and called a walk on 1-2. Nothing will convince me otherwise.

The White Sox are so close to a division win, but with Drinky McSnoozeboy at the helm, guiding the South Side ship into the iceberg, it’s all going to fall apart sooner or later.

Give the White Sox a chance to win the division, and fire Tony La Russa.

Fire the whole staff (except for Ethan Katz), I don’t care, just get in quality people who will breathe life and energy into the clubhouse. Find another Herm Schneider, or a trainer that will keep our guys healthy and not suffering a groin pull every time they sneeze. When Roger Bossard is more beloved than any of the coaching staff, we have a problem.

Speaking of having a problem:

Imagine being this entitled, believing you’re immune from the law and feeling justified in putting innocent lives in danger, despite claiming you’ve learned your lesson after your first DUI (and subsequent court-ordered alcohol abuse counseling). Then, imagine being a player for the White Sox, and struggling to find the fortitude to dominate a mental game when the leader is a man of zero accountability, asinine decision making, and conditional lack of support of certain players. You can defend La Russa all you want, but at what point is that considered cognitive dissonance?

Tony is so tone-deaf to his own clubhouse, he called out the one overachiever on the roster, Johnny Cueto, in the flimsiest fashion, after Cueto questioned whether the roster had the fire to fight back in the division.

It’s time to stop living in denial, La Russa lovers. Tony La Russa is a Hall of Fame manager, but how long can you use that as a reason to keep him around, with no other supporting argument than his past? What’s next, starting Clem Haskins for the Bulls next season? While we’re at it, let’s get Willie Gault back on the Bears and put our trust in Dennis Hull and see if he can turn the Blackhawks’ luck around. Why not exhume my long-deceased grandpa, because he was a fast runner and a great outfielder?

Or, fuck it, let’s allow the fans to make all the management decisions.

(When it happened back in 1951, with beloved owner Bill Veeck in his pre-White Sox days, the 37-81 St. Louis Browns were so bad they were intentionally asking fans for help.)

I’m tired of watching a good White Sox team fall apart due to the lack of solid leadership from its management. At this point, it’s a toxic work environment, and I don’t care how much the players are salaried, because that’s not enough to create a cohesive, winning team. If it were, clubs wouldn’t bother to acquire and pay for good managers.

Saturday’s shutout win was fun to watch, with most of the credit to the outstanding Cueto, whose wheels are constantly turning and ready to dominate in the mental game, despite the boneheaded moves of an expired manager sabotaging the White Sox momentum on several occasions so far this season.

Let’s hope the rest of this division race keeps the White Sox protected from the toxic waste negativity and knee-jerk lunacy from their long-pickled skipper. But it shouldn’t come down to hope. Is should come to action from the front office to salvage the season — and possibly, the contention window — by showing Tony the door.