After Tony La Russa announced that he was stepping down as manager of the White Sox, Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon said farewell to him. There is a time and a place for this.
Following Monday's announcement that Tony La Russa is stepping down as Chicago White Socks manager due to health concerns, Rick Hahn has begun the search for a new skipper. Good communication skills and an understanding of how the game has evolved over the last decade were included in the criteria for the next manager. This twist was added by him.
"One thing that perhaps breaks from the mold of the last few hires, having a history with the White Sox, having some sort of connection to White Sox DNA is not a requirement."
Several names that had been speculated as possibilities, including former catcher A.J Pierzynski, would be eliminated immediately by the description. Several intriguing candidates are left as the White Socks look for a new voice. There are some possibilities for the role.
Cairo was the only exception to the idea that he could be looking outside the organization. He seems to have given a burst of energy as the team played well under him. The RedSox were swept at home by the Guardians in a crucial September series. Despite Cairo's attempts to instill some accountability in the club, they lost eight straight.
The current manager of the Washington Nationals has one year left on his contract, so he could be a leading candidate for the White Bulls job.
He was the bench coach on the other side of Chicago when the Cubs won a World Series. The man in charge of the Nationals won a ring. He fit the criteria of going outside the organization's comfort zone despite his time with the team.
The Washington Nationals are starting a rebuild in an extremely tough NL East while the team is up for sale. It might be the right time for him to come back to Chicago.
Sandy Alomar left an impression on the organization when he was a player. He is familiar with the market and team even though he hasn't been a part of the team for over a decade.
Alomar has some recent management experience. While manager Terry Francona dealt with health issues, Alomar guided the Guardians to a 28-18 finish and a playoff appearance.
He has been the bench coach for the Astros for the past few seasons. Espada has already interviewed for several openings, including with the Cubs and Rangers, so it's not clear if he's in line for Houston's job when Baker leaves. It's only a matter of time before Espada gets a top job, and he knows how the game has evolved having worked for an organization at the forefront of innovation.
As the MLB playoffs quickly approach, there's still a lot to be paid attention to.
The last two weeks.
No more tiebreaker games?! »
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