Party like it's 1983! Tony La Russa named White Sox manager

This offseason, the White Sox need a manager, a designated hitter and a right fielder, preferably one that can swing from the left side of the plate.

Hey, maybe the answers are all right here on a shelf in my man cave! (See picture at right.)

OK, so maybe Harold Baines isn't coming back to play right field, and Greg Luzinski probably can't handle the DH role anymore. The question is whether Tony La Russa can still manage at a championship level.

We're going to find out, because the Sox hired him Thursday in a controversial move, to say the least. I'm not sure I know one single Sox fan who is happy with this decision, and I am no different. 

You can't knock La Russa's credentials. He's in the Hall of Fame as a manager. He's won three World Series and six pennants. He ranks third all-time with 2,728 wins -- and he only needs 36 wins to move into second place.

Thing is, La Russa is 76 years old, and he hasn't managed since he led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series championship in 2011. Sox general manager Rick Hahn is on the record as having said the ideal managerial candidate would be someone who has "experience with a championship organization in recent years."

La Russa checks the box on experience with a championship organization. The recent years part, not so much. I do not consider 2011 to be recent. Maybe others do, but I don't. The game has changed a lot in the past 10 years. 

The worst part of this hire, for me, is that the Sox didn't seem to conduct anything resembling a thorough search. They fixated on one guy and, of course, it's La Russa, a longtime favorite of owner Jerry Reinsdorf. 

La Russa managed the Sox from 1979-86. That's a long time ago, folks. We're going back to my childhood, and I'm a 44-year-old man now. La Russa was the Sox manager when I attended my first game at old Comiskey Park ... 39 years ago.

Reinsdorf is on the record as saying his biggest mistake was firing La Russa ... in 1986. So apparently, the big priority here is righting a wrong that happened in 1986. That's a shame, because I thought the big priority here was for the Sox to win a World Series in 2021.

Maybe La Russa can do that, but color me skeptical that a 76-year-old man who has been out of the game for nine years is going to relate well to players who are 50 years younger than he is. 

I actually have no doubt that La Russa is a smart enough man to combine new-school and old-school thoughts on the game. I think he'll pay attention to analytics, but he won't be a slave to it. Both the old school and the new school have their place in my view. The in-game management itself, I think La Russa can do that part.

The problem here is, will guys want to play for him? I'm not sure.

But I think the thing that pisses fans off most is that this is another "insular" hire. Jeff Passan's tweet from earlier today summed it up. Here's the tweet:

"The hiring of Tony La Russa has ruffled feathers in the White Sox organization. A number of employees have concerns about his ability to connect with younger players and how he will adapt to the field after being away 9 years. .... This was a Jerry Reinsdorf decision. Simple as that."

Yes, this was not a decision by baseball operations, as it should have been. It was a decision by a weird, octogenarian billionaire owner whose main interest has always been to surround himself with friends and loyal soldiers.

Sure, Reinsdorf wants to win, but he wants to win his way. And I don't think his way is going to work.

Some key MLB offseason dates to remember

The World Series is over, so here are some key dates to remember this offseason:

Nov. 1. The deadline for exercising or declining options and extending the qualifying offer, after which free agents can sign with any team. 

Nov. 2. Finalists are announced for Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year and Manager of the Year awards.

Nov. 3. Gold Glove winners announced.

Nov. 9. Rookie of the Year winners announced.

Nov. 10. Manager of the Year winners announced.

Nov. 11. Cy Young winners announced.

Nov. 12. MVP winners announced.

Nov. 20. Deadline for adding players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.

Dec. 2. Deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players.

Dec. 6. Winter meetings begin, most likely in online format.

Mookie Betts is the difference between the Dodgers and Rays -- and about that Blake Snell decision

Mookie Betts

Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays are considered elite, forward-thinking organizations by most people around Major League Baseball.

But here's the key difference between the two: The Dodgers have the resources to acquire -- and pay -- a high-end baseball player such as Mookie Betts.

Los Angeles won its first World Series championship since 1988 on Tuesday, beating the Rays, 3-1, in Game 6. 

Betts, a five-tool player who can beat the opposition in multiple ways, led the Dodgers in the decisive game. He went 2 for 4 with a double and a home run. He scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the sixth inning and gave Los Angeles some cushion with a solo home run off Tampa Bay reliever Pete Fairbanks in the bottom of the eighth.

The Rays took a 1-0 lead into the sixth inning, and their ace, Blake Snell, was dealing.

Austin Barnes, the Dodgers' No. 9 hitter, singled off Snell with one out. It was only the second hit off the Tampa Bay left-hander, who struck out nine of the 18 batters he faced.

But apparently Rays manager Kevin Cash decided Snell was only going to go through the Los Angeles batting order twice. Snell was removed from the game in favor of right-hander Nick Anderson, even though he had only thrown 73 pitches and seemed to have plenty left in the tank.

Up stepped Betts, who doubled Barnes to third base. Anderson's wild pitch allowed Barnes to score the tying run, with Betts advancing to third. The contact play was on as Corey Seager grounded to first base, and Betts used his speed to score the go-ahead run on the fielder's choice. 2-1 Dodgers.

The Betts home run in the ninth put it away, as Tampa Bay batters had no chance against Los Angeles left-hander Julio Urias, who faced seven men and retired them all -- four by strikeout.

But back to that Snell decision ... I don't think too many baseball people thought it was a good choice. Why would you take out your ace, a former Cy Young winner, when he's dealing in a must-win game?

Well, the Rays believe in their analytics, and the numbers say it's best not to let your starting pitcher go through the opposing batter order for a third time. 

OK, I don't like it, but I get it. But let's say you agree with the idea of taking Snell out. If that's the case, then why was Anderson the choice? 

Anderson has made 10 appearances this postseason. He has been scored upon in eight of them -- EIGHT!!! -- including seven appearances in a row. His playoff ERA is 5.52.

He has been pitching poorly by any measure. In what baseball universe is he the best choice to face Betts and Seager in a 1-0 game with a World Series championship on the line?

No universe that I'm living in. 

Analytics are all fine and dandy, and the Rays have used them to great success. You can't argue with a 40-20 record this season, nor can you argue with an American League pennant.

But sometimes you have to trust your eyes a little bit. Even a blind man can see that Anderson has not been pitching well. You just can't go to him there, although the Dodgers and their fans are very happy that Cash did.

Clayton Kershaw has pitched well for the Dodgers this postseason

Clayton Kershaw

If you look at regular season statistics, Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher of his generation, and there isn't even much of an argument.

The Los Angeles Dodgers' left-hander is 175-76 with a 2.43 ERA in his career. He has 2,526 strikeouts. He's won the Cy Young Award three times. He was the National League MVP in 2014, a rare accomplishment for a pitcher.

Five times Kershaw has led the NL in ERA. He's had the lowest WHIP in the league four times. He's led the league in wins and strikeouts three times each.

The blemishes on his career? Well, the Dodgers win the NL West Division every year, but they've yet to win the World Series during the Kershaw era. And Kershaw himself has a pedestrian postseason record -- he's 13-12 with a 4.19 ERA. 

Kershaw is the all-time leader in postseason strikeouts with 207, but you would expect a better record under the playoff lights from a generational pitcher such as this.

Thing is, Kershaw has quieted some of that criticism here in 2020. Four of those 13 career postseason wins have come this year -- the latest a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday night.

The Dodgers now lead the World Series, 3 games to 2, and Kershaw is on the verge of finally getting a championship ring to finish off his Hall of Fame resume. And, he has been a significant contributor to this Los Angeles run. Here is a breakdown of his five postseason starts this year:

Oct. 1 vs. Milwaukee: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 13 Ks, 1 BB -- WIN

Oct. 7 vs. San Diego: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 6 Ks, 0 BB -- WIN

Oct. 15 vs. Atlanta: 5 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 Ks, 1 BB -- LOSS

Oct. 20 vs. Tampa Bay: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 Ks, 1 BB -- WIN

Oct. 25 vs. Tampa Bay: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 Ks, 2 BBs -- WIN

That totals up to a 4-1 record, including two World Series wins, with a 2.64 ERA, 37 strikeouts and five walks in 30.2 innings pitched.

I'm guessing Kershaw's 2020 postseason is over, unless he pitches in relief in a potential Game 7, and while you can't erase the struggles and disappointments of previous years, you have to give credit where credit is due. 

Kershaw has been good in the playoffs this year.

5(!) White Sox players among finalists for Gold Glove

Luis Robert

The finalists for the 2020 Gold Glove awards were announced Thursday, and much to my surprise, there are five White Sox players on the list.

Five!?

I can't remember another year when this many Sox players were considered candidates for this honor. Here are the players on the list:

C: James McCann

C: Yasmani Grandal

2B: Danny Mendick

3B: Yoan Moncada

CF: Luis Robert

Of the five, I'd rank Robert as the most likely to win, even though he's up against some tough competition in Minnesota's Byron Buxton and Oakland's Ramon Laureano. 

Buxton won the Gold Glove in 2017 and is widely known as a great defensive outfielder, but he did miss time because of injury this season. Also in Robert's favor: He led all center fielders in MLB in Outs Above Average at +7.

McCann and Grandal are finalists at catcher, along with Cleveland's Roberto Perez. But can either McCann or Grandal really claim the award when they shared the position throughout the season?

Mendick, to me, also didn't play enough to merit serious consideration. He played only 226 innings in 33 games at second base. That's fewer than the other finalists -- Cleveland's Cesar Hernandez, Detroit's Jonathan Schoop and Kansas City's Nicky Lopez.

Over at third base, Oakland's Matt Chapman is usually a slam dunk for the award. But he got hurt this year, so Moncada has a shot, along with New York's Gio Urshela and Texas' Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

Toughest White Sox offseason decisions: Alex Colome and Leury Garcia

Alex Colome

Over the past two seasons, the White Sox are 92-1 when leading after eight innings. They were a perfect 32-0 in that situation in 2020, after going 60-1 in 2019.

A won-loss record like that is a clear sign that your closer is doing his job. As annoying as it can be to watch Alex Colome work slooooooowly on the mound, the veteran right-hander has had back-to-back successful seasons on the South Side of Chicago.

This year, he went 2-0 with a 0.81 ERA with 12 saves in 13 opportunities. Over the past two seasons, he's appeared in 104 games, going 6-5 with a 2.27 ERA with 42 saves in 46 chances. 

Unless you've got Mariano Rivera on your team or something, you can't really expect better from your ninth inning guy.

However, the Sox face a tough decision on Colome this offseason. He's a free agent, and by the time next season begins, he'll be 32 years old. He was scheduled to make $10.53 million in 2020 before the pandemic reduced everyone's salary, and since he had a strong year, there's no doubt he'll be seeking more on the open market.

Should the Sox prioritize Colome, knowing they have other quality relievers in their bullpen? Aaron Bummer and Codi Heuer both have closer stuff, and both could do the job for much cheaper.

That said, 2021 is a win-now season for the Sox, and can they afford to go into it without a proven closer? Sure, we *think* Bummer and Heuer can do the job, but we don't *know* they can do the job. They haven't been given the opportunity yet.

A strong case can be made, too, that the Sox have bigger needs than the bullpen. They are certainly a starting pitcher short. They need a right fielder and a designated hitter, as well.

But even though Colome likely is heading toward the regression phase of his career, I'd like to see the Sox re-sign him if the price is right. 

The guess here is free agents aren't going to make a whole heck of a lot this offseason. The big-name guys, George Springer and Trevor Bauer, are going to get paid, but second-tier and third-tier guys -- such as Colome -- may not command as much as they would in a normal year. Teams didn't get any revenue from ticket sales in 2020, and spending is going to be down. That's just a reality.

If the Sox were to offer Colome two years, $20 million right now, he'd have to consider it. But if they wait out the market, they might be able to get him at an even cheaper rate -- perhaps two years, $16 million.

It will be interesting to see how the Sox play it with their closer situation this offseason.

The other tough decision ahead? How about oft-injured utility player Leury Garcia? He has a $3.5 million option with a $250,000 buyout.

If Garcia could reliably stay healthy, I think that option gets picked up. However, he missed most of the season this year with torn ligaments in his thumb. And despite all his positional versatility -- and his ability to switch-hit -- the Sox could carry Adam Engel as a backup outfielder and Danny Mendick as a backup infielder, and probably get the same production for less money.

Then the Sox could put that $3.5 million toward filling the aforementioned holes, or trying to entice Colome to return.

I would buy out Garcia, but I'm acknowledging that it's not an easy decision. He's been a good soldier during the rebuild, and he has utility as a bench player. I'm just feeling as though that money would be better spent elsewhere.

White Sox help fans commemorate Lucas Giolito's no-hitter

I was at the game April 18, 2007, when White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle pitched a no-hitter against the Texas Rangers.

I have friends who were there July 23, 2009, when Buehrle pitched a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

No-hitters are a rare thing -- only four of them have been thrown in the 30-year-history of Guaranteed Rate Field -- so if you get to see one in person, that could be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's a story that gets told and told again for years and years among family and friends.

It's just a shame that one of the aforementioned four no-hitters occurred Aug. 25, 2020, during the season of COVID-19, with no fans in the stands. No one will ever be able to say they were at the game when Lucas Giolito struck out 13 and thoroughly dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates.

One Sox fan I know tweeted, "My cardboard cutout has seen a no-hitter, and I have not. F**** 2020." 

Indeed.

But the Sox did make a nice gesture by sending out replica tickets to all their season-ticket holders to commemorate Giolito's no-hitter. These have my actual seat location on them, and we were able to frame them and put them on display in our home.

I criticize the Sox plenty on this blog, so let's give the team credit for doing something right this time. Thank you, Sox, for giving us something to help us remember one of the happiest moments of the 2020 baseball season.